Moonlight
by EverythingSlytherin
Summary: She just wanted to forget. However, some things needed to be remembered.
1. Chapter 1

pIt was a beautiful day. The warm breeze brushed against her tanned skin as the sun left kisses. The only noise was the heavy waves of the Pacific rushing against the sand beneath her feet. Her dark eyes were bright as they looked up at the clear blue sky. Everything was wonderful. Perfect. She closed her eyes and fell back into the sand, a small smile on her lips. Her long fingers dragged through the tiny glass beads and shells, feeling as though she was meant to be part of it./p

pThere wasn't a blemish in the sky./p

pThat's why it confused her when a darkness flashed quickly over her closed eyelids as something momentarily blocked out the sun. Her dark brows furrowed as she opened her eyes to spy what was ruining her perfect day. It was the most terrifying thing she had ever laid eyes on. Six large, grey birds with red circles of fire printed onto their flapping wings circled above. Their calls were loud, shrill hums that went off every time they set their shiny black eyes upon her. It disrupted her soul. She tried to get up and run, but she couldn't. There was something wrong with the sand. It was restraining her. She jerked her head to the side and saw that it wasn't sand any more. The tiny glass beads and shells had each turned into burned severed limbs. Hands that had been ripped from their arms were holding her in place as the birds got closer and closer./p

p"emIpo/em." A distorted voice came from all around her. She looked around for the source, all the while yanking against the fingers that started to burn her skin. "emIpo/em." She jerked her head forward, staring with wide eyes at the bloated severed head sitting between her ankles. It was that of a woman's. Her eyes were swollen shut and she wore blood as lipstick over blue lips. It looked as if someone was making it talk, "emIpo. span title="You will die"E ka make ʻoe/span/em."/p

pThe giant avians above began to call relentlessly, each time they opened their mouth a word sounded, "emIpo! Ipo! Ipo!/em"

Her shoulder was suddenly shoved hard, "Ipo, wake up! We're here." Her eyes snapped open and she jerked to an upright position on her bunk.

"Have that dream again, huh?" Eugene Sledge asked. He asked that every night since the second week of boot camp. She grunted in response. She tried to always just grunt around fellow marines. Not so much with Eugene, since he knew. Eugene Sledge was a smart man who knew what it was like to want to be in the war so bad that the insides itched and the heart ached. That's why she told him the truth. Ipo Kaheikekonikoni was a woman who deceived the government into thinking that she was a boy. Getting into the Marines was the easy part, thanks to her willing younger brother. It was during boot camp that was the tricky part. She had her breasts wrapped tightly at all times and even then it made her look like she had a defined chest. Eugene and her traded clothes so that it'd be easier to hide her womanly curves that were always praised during hula class. She was short, only 5 feet, but many men were short. Her voice, however, was a higher pitch. That couldn't be hidden. The men in bootcamp were used to it. They accepted it.

However, they weren't in bootcamp any more. They were heading off to Pavuvu to be in the presence of Marines who had already seen the horrors of war. Not that Ipo hadn't seen it. It would be the first time she was participating. She just had to hope that none of the men on that island would do more than glance twice at her before accepting that she must be a boy, since she was a fighting Marine. Not a Marine who packed ammo and made 50,000 pancakes, but one who fought face to face with the enemy. All she had to do was keep to herself and stick with Eugene.

"Let's go out on deck." Eugene tossed her boots at her. Ipo quickly shoved them on her feet. Eugene's eyes lingered on the tattoo that ran from the back of her right hand all the way up to where it disappeared behind the sleeve of her white cotton shirt. He had never seen the rest of the tattoo. He used to guard the showers when she had snuck in there late at night to clean up from prying eyes and Eugene's eyes never pried. He was raised a gentleman. That's why Ipo considered him to be her best friend. All of her friends back in Hawaiʻi were taken by the government and sent off to live inside walls that were no better than a prison's. The only reason her family wasn't one of them was because they were kanaka maoli- pure Hawaiian. They were even some of the very few that still spoke Hawaiian. English wasn't her first language. Her accent spooked people at first. That with her smaller eyes made people think she was Japanese at first, but she straightened that out real quickly. Most of all, she looked like a woman. Not even her short hair that was no longer than Eugene's could cover her soft features. She had to adopt a look of stone.

Ipo shrugged on her green jacket and followed Eugene through the narrow steel halls and up onto the deck. She loved the smell of the ocean. Eugene and Ipo stared out at the small island where they were going to stay for who knew how long. It made her simultaneously happy and nervous, thanks to that dream of hers.

"Looks like Hawaiʻi." Bill Leyden said.

"No, it doesn't." Eugene responded.

"You trying to insult me, Leyden?" Ipo said jokingly. Her voice was melodic, which is why she should just keep her mouth shut for the duration of the war, no matter how long it lasted. Leyden laughed. If Ipo had to pick another person to have the knowledge of her gender, it would be Bill Leyden. He's an easy going guy, but would most definitely tell the higher-ups if he felt that she was in danger. Nice guys were annoying.

The sand made her jittery. She expected the microscopic pieces to grab at her feet at any moment as they walked down it. The people that filled the tents around her were veterans. Veterans that Eugene found necessary to ask in what general direction he would find his friend at. His name was Sid. Eugene used to read her the letters that he sent. He seemed like a good guy; always gently trying to warn Eugene away from war. The redhead never read into that part too much. Ipo sent letters, too. She sent them to her brother, Inoke, and her baby sister, ʻAuliʻi, who had just turned five last week. She also sent a letter to Analu, the man who she thought that she was in love with. She told him that, after what had happened, she had to get away. That she was touring the mainland. He didn't send a letter back. Eugene and Leyden stopped to watch a marine fight an imaginary enemy, but Ipo kept going. She didn't want to get lost on this island full of trigger happy men.

They were eventually all directed to where they were supposed to go. Leyden, being the kind of man he was, barged into the tent with Ipo, Eugene, and Oswalt following. "Hello." He said. There were three men in there; one cleaning his rifle, one playing a card game, and one picking at a blistering scab on his foot that he probably shouldn't have been messing with. Much like the rest of the men on the island, they didn't give the new guys a second glance.

"This K Company?" Eugene asked, "We're supposed to be in 60 Mortar, Second Squad."

"Jesus," The man playing cards chuckled, "These men are supposed to be 60 Mortars."

The one cleaning the rifle spoke, "This is Second Squad."

"Robert Oswalt." Her fellow private began the introductions. Him and Ipo weren't that tight with each other. Mostly because she had told a joke about his mother that he didn't particularly find funny. They were civil, though.

"Eugene Sledge."

The man with the rifle spoke again, "You 60 Mortars, too?"

Leyden answered, "Rifleman. Third Platoon. Bill Leyden."

"Then we'll ignore you." The guy with the rifle must've had a higher rank than the rest. Either that, or he fancied himself a ringleader. He began introducing the people on his side of the tent, starting with the man picking at his foot, "That's Snafu." Snafu grunted and if it weren't for the fact that he was shirtless, Ipo would've wondered if he was pretending to be a man, too. The ringleader gestured to the man who kept chuckling at them, "That man's De L'eau. And I'm Corporal Burgin. Find yourself a bunk." Corporal. He was the boss.

As soon as Eugene turned and dropped his rucksack on a bed, Snafu threw his helmet onto the bouncing surface, "Taken." He threw his sandal on the other one, his face becoming cocky, "Taken."

De L'eau threw his cards down with a smile and stood up, "Come on, I'll show you around. Find you another tent."

Ipo was the last to follow her friends out, Snafu calling out, "Hey little man! What's your name?" She didn't even pause. She pretended like she didn't hear him and left. Keep her mouth shut. That was the plan.

Ipo didn't really listen to De L'eau as he spoke. She was too occupied with taking it all in. Men were boxing each other, playing card games, betting money. It was almost just like boot camp except that no one was as fresh-faced and wide-eyed. De L'eau pointed to a tent for them to take and Eugene once again asked for H Company. At least he kind of got an answer that time. "You coming to see Sid with me?" Eugene asked as they made their way to the first tent they sat eyes on.

"ʻAe. The man's legendary." Ipo grinned. They followed Oswalt and Leyden in to find that there was only enough room for three bunks.

"Looks like we'll have to be separated." Leyden said.

"Who's going?" Oswalt asked.

"Not me." Eugene answered, throwing his stuff onto the cot next to the door, "This is mine."

"Let's draw straws." Oswalt suggested.

"We don't have any straws." Ipo informed.

"Rock, paper, scissors." Leyden suggested. They all held out their fists and started. Eugene won immediately, choosing rock when everyone else went with scissors. Then, Oswalt won because, apparently, Ipo and Leyden were both thinking 'paper'. It was just down to them and Ipo was determined to stay with Eugene because that was the plan. Destiny was against her, however, as Leyden stuck with paper and Ipo chose rock. Maybe she was predictable. Leyden grinned, throwing his bag onto his newly acquired bed, "Sucks to be you, Ipo."

"Where the hell am I supposed to go?" She couldn't help the sneer that came across her face.

"We can look for a place after we find Sid. Come on." Eugene patted her shoulder and lead the way out of the tent.

"Bye, Ipo!" Leyden and Oswalt sang jokingly just to rub it in her face a little bit more.

"Fuck you!" She called back. She was answered with barking laughter.

"Don't worry about it." Eugene told her, walking in the direction that De L'eau had gestured, "You'll be fine."

Ipo took off her helmet and shoved it in her rucksack, "I know. I'm just annoyed, is all. If I start yelling in my sleep, there won't be anyone there to wake me up."

"I'm sure half of these people yell in their sleep." Eugene replied, looking this way and that, turning backwards and sideways. Ipo heard the loud footsteps before Eugene was tackled to the ground. Ipo jumped back and watched, not knowing if there was any danger.

"Something's wrong," Said the tackling man with a Southern accent, "Something's very wrong if you made it through boot camp." It was Sid. Ipo couldn't help but grin. It dropped when two men walked up and she stood at attention.

"Give me a break, you ol' greaser, come on!" Eugene struggled to say.

"Get up off my deck." Captain Haldane ordered. Eugene and Sid then joined with reality again. The Captain gave them a hard time, Sid stuttering his answers.

Captain Haldane turned to Eugene, "Who are you?"

"Private Eugene Sledge, sir."

"And you?" Haldan asked Ipo. She couldn't not answer the Captain, "Private Ipo Kaheikekonikoni, but everyone calls me Ipo, sir."

He stared at her for a second before turning back to the boys, "You fellas know each other or is this some type of conflict resolution?"

"Old friends, sir." Eugene answered, "From Mobile, Alabama, sir."

"Mobile?"

"Yes, sir." Eugene was sweating bullets. He probably thought he'd be in trouble.

"Old friends? That explains it. As you were. But, try not to dislocate a shoulder or break an arm. We need both of you men healthy."

"Yes, sir." The old friends said in unison.

"Carry on."

Captain Haldane was about to walk away when Ipo stopped him, "Captain Haldane, sir?"

He paused mid-step before turning back, "Yes, private?"

She suddenly felt like the biggest idiot, "There's no more bunks left. It seems that I'm out of a tent, sir."

"No more bunks? That can't be right. What company you in?"

"K Company. 60 Mortar, Second Squad, sir."

He rose his eyebrows, "60 Mortar? Alright, walk with me. Let's see if we can find you a place." He was nice so far. He could still throw her out in the dirt if he chose to, however. Ipo just looked back at Eugene and nodded her goodbye. She didn't get to meet Sid. As they walked along, Haldane asked, "Where are you from, Ipo?"

"Hawaiʻi, sir."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

Ipo didn't know how to answer, "Me too, sir." It wasn't her home island that had the bombs dropped on it.

He lead her down a familiar path and, to her dread, into a familiar tent, "K Company, Second squad?" Snafu and Burgin were the only ones left in the tent. They snapped up and stood at attention, answering with 'yes, sir's. "You have any free bunks for Private Ipo, here?" Thank God that Ipo already knew the answer to that.

"Yes, sir." Burgin surprised her, "Both of these bunks are free, sir."

Haldane turned to her, "Well there you have it. A place to rest your head."

She didn't want to say it, but she had to, "Thank you, sir."

Immediately, Burgin and Snafu's eyes burned holes into her head. Or, she was being extremely paranoid.

"You're welcome." He turned to Snafu and Burgin, "Take it easy on the new guy."

"Yes, sir." They chorused. Haldane said his goodbyes and left her alone with them.

Burgin let out a scoff, "Welcome back."

"Had to go tell daddy on us, huh?" Snafu sat back down in his chair. Ipo sat down her stuff on the bed that Eugene was going to take and left the tent to go find her friend again. She briefly heard Snafu ask, "What's his fucking problem?" Before she was out of earshot.

It started raining and men started getting undressed around her. She ferociously tried to ignore it. This didn't happen at bootcamp. Before it even stopped raining she found some familiar faces making their way somewhere, "Leyden, Oswalt." She stated when she had jogged up to their side.

"Hey, Ipo, long time no see!" Leyden grinned as it ceased raining, men's balls still dripping with soap that they didn't get to rinse off.

Oswalt looked at Leyden, jutting a thumb in Ipo's direction, "Isn't he missing something? He looks different."

Leyden tapped his chin, "Hm. Yeah, now that you mention it, didn't he used to have a six-foot-tall tumor with red hair named 'Eugene Sledge'?"

"Yeah, that's it!" Oswalt declared.

Ipo snorted, "Fuck you. We got separated. You'll never guess who I got bunked with."

"Oh, please, do tell." Snafu came up beside her, making her jump, "Really, I'm all ears." She didn't know what accent he had, but it was stranger than her's.

"Hey, Snafu." Leyden said in a deflated greeting.

He nodded at them, "Marines. Gotta run. See you at the tent, roommate." Snafu clapped his hand down on Ipo's shoulder hard before walking in a different direction.

"You're right." Oswalt shook his head, "I would have never guess it."

"Thought they were all full up?" Leyden asked as they turned into the little cafeteria area.

Ipo immediately felt relief when her eyes fell on Eugene, who was sitting across from Sid. "They're liars." Ipo stated before plopping down next to her friend, "Hey, Shark Bait, there's a free bunk in the tent I'm in." When Ipo had first called him that, he asked what it was supposed to mean. She had no problem telling him that his skin was so white that sharks would confuse him for an exotic fish.

Eugene shook his head, "You ain't tired of me, yet?"

"It's not for me, it's for you. You'd go crazy without me telling you how much of a lōlō you are all the time."

"What does that even mean?" Leyden asked as him and Oswalt sat at the table.

"If you knew, it'd be no fun." Ipo grinned.

Eugene pointed to her, "Sid, this is Ipo, my new best friend, since you decided to leave me. This is Oswalt and Leyden. They're not my friends."

"Fuck you." Leyden said, laughing anyway.

Sid pointed at her, his eyes not lingering in silent wonder like everyone else's, "This is who you replaced me with? It's a downgrade, if you ask me."

"Good thing no one did." Ipo knew he was joking. They all laughed. She was speaking freely with Sid because he was rotating home and his friend was Eugene, which meant that he must have some goodness in him. Oswalt, Leyden, and Ipo went and got some food on the insistence of Sid. He said that it was good to eat while they had food. "You're surrounded by an ocean." Ipo said, "Plenty of fish."

"No fishing poles." Sid said.

"You have hands." She answered.

"You can catch a fish with your hands?" Eugene didn't believe her.

"There's not a lot to do on an island." Ipo ate her slop as Leyden and Oswalt teased Eugene about his baby food. Sid launched into some war advice. Never trade your pistol. She flinched a little when he spoke about taking down Japs. It wasn't because she was against the thought of killing them. It was just a reaction to the word in general. It reminded her of her dream and her dream reminded her of things that she never spoke of. Eugene didn't even know. He just knew that she was from Hawaiʻi and that she had nightmares.

"Working party!" The Sergeant barked as he stopped by the table, Ipo's new best friend right behind him, "Three of you boots go with Snafu. Hurry up!"

"You heard the Sergeant." He looked amused as Eugene, Oswalt, and Leyden scrambled to get up, "Now." He nodded at Oswalt, "No, not you." His eyes slid to the still-seated Ipo, "I want little man here." Oswalt hesitantly sat down as Ipo stood up, waiting for Eugene to finish packing his baby food. Snafu and Ipo stared at each other, her in defiance and him in amusement. She wasn't going to take any of the shit that he wanted to throw at her. Sid was stealing their food, also amused.

As they were following Snafu, Eugene mumbled to her, "Don't start nothin'." She just grunted.

Leyden heard and chimed in, "I think he should. I have a bet going on with Oswalt to see how long it takes for Ipo to break someone's nose."

Eugene shook his head, "No one's breaking anything." They arrived at an area that was filled with old oil drums and a sign nailed to a tree that read, "No smoking!" Snafu immediately lit up a cigarette and pointed to the drums, "Well? Get to scrubbing." He hopped up on a full barrel of oil and watched them as they began. He commented every now and then, telling them to scrub harder or that they missed a spot. She rolled the sleeves up after a while just past her elbows because of the heat and caught Snafu for a split second staring at her tattoos. When she came home with them, her mother was angry. She thought that Ipo was too young to have them. Ipo diffused the situation by saying that it was traditional and that that was how they ran their household. And, hey, at least she didn't get a tattoo on her chin like Aunty Iolana.

"What's your name again?" Snafu asked her, finally getting on with the inevitable picking, "Earpole?"

Eugene looked at her, irritation on his face before looking at Snafu and answering for her, "His name is Ipo."

"I wasn't talkin' to you, Eugene Sledge." Everything Snafu said was drawn out as if he didn?' care if his words ever finished. He was quiet for a few moments before he said, "How come you look like a girl, Earpole? You sound like one, too. You sure you ain't one?"

Ipo's jaw tensed as she stood up straight and look at Snafu in the eye, ignoring Eugene's quiet voice of warning. She didn't listen to the thought in the back of her head that was demanding her to keep her mouth shut as she spoke, "Your mother is damn sure."

Leyden started laughing, trying to muffle it behind his greasy forearm. Eugene shook his head in disappointment, but smiled anyway. Snafu hopped off of the drum he was sitting on and walked up to her, "The fuck did you just say to me?"

"I said," Ipo had to keep herself from yelling, "That your mother was sure when she was riding my fat cock." She gave all the credit to the men at bootcamp who really let themselves loose. When she was herself, she had never heard a man talk like that before. Get a few men in a group and it's 'dick' this and 'cock' that. Leyden let loose a bark of laughter.

"Ipo!" Eugene said sternly.

Snafu's fist was tensed and he wanted to punch her really badly, that much was certain. "Hey!" Hillbilly had been walking by, "Something going on there?"

Snafu's face relaxed and it gained it's ever-present overly-confident expression, "No, sir."

Ipo scowled, "No, sir."

"Then, get back to work!"

Snafu slowly backed away from Ipo, who only went back to scrubbing the barrel when he had sat back down.

Eugene looked at her, "Control yourself."

"span title="No"ʻAʻole/span." She answered. Eugene knew what that meant, but he acted like he didn't.

Snafu lit up another cigarette and began speaking like there wasn't just a conflict, "You assholes gon' miss cleaning out oil barrels pretty soon. You're gonna be humpin' up some fuckin' hill or across a beach. Japs pouring shit for fire." Ipo flinched again. She wondered what she was going to be like when she actually saw one. Snafu continued, "Pissin' your pants, crying, "Boo-hoo". Wishing you were back here with nothin' asked of you but to scrub oil outta drums."

Leyden was nearly through with Snafu's shit. He threw his brush into his barrel before uprighting it with anger, slamming it onto the ground, "Why don't you grab a brush and give us a hand?"

Snafu's lips formed a half-smile, "Fuck that shit, I scrub drums for no man."

Eugene had gained some courage as he looked at Snafu, "Can we take a break?"

"Do whatever you want, this ain't my detail." The smile was full-fledged now, happy to piss them off, "I was supposed to dump ya'll off and report back to the C.P."

"Then why are you still here?" Ipo asked. She knew she wouldn't have been able to keep her mouth shut.

Snafu smirked at her, "I like to watch the new guys sweat." He had a face that was asking to be punched and Ipo felt like answering, but she didn't. Instead, she walked off. She had to go back eventually and finish the barrels, but she wasn't going to let him win at that moment. She had had problems with people before in bootcamp and what would always end up happening was either a physical fight or she had to come up with a way to terrify them enough to make them stay far away from her.

Eugene ended up following her to the beach. He sat down to look at the crab as she traveled far down onto the beach, stepping the toes of her boots in the water. Ipo looked out over the Pacific and wondered if Inoke or ʻAuliʻi or even Analu had their toes in the same water. She didn't know how long she stood watching the water hit her toes, but eventually she heard her name being called. Eugene had been joined by Sid and she didn't even notice. They went back and scrubbed the rest of the barrels. By the time they finished, it was dark enough for Ipo to feel comfortable about taking off her green jacket and tying it around her waist. All of the men were moving to one end of the island. Ipo, Eugene, and Leyden met up with Sid and Oswalt on the way and were happy to see that they were going to play a movie. Well, that was until she found out that it was a romance movie. Ipo made a noise and turned around. She?d rather scrub oil drums. However, Eugene blocked her path, "Where do you think you're going?" He shoved her forward, forcing her to sit right up front. She couldn't watch this movie with these marines. She hadn't watched a romance movie in a long time, but she knew that she always cried at the end, whether it was stupid or not. She made it through most of the film with minimal comments until:

"emI don't know how to kiss or I would kiss you/em."

A loud snort ripped out of her, making half of the men look at her at shout for her to shut up. Quietly, Eugene asked, "What's so funny?"

Ipo whispered, "She's playing him."

"What?" Leyden leaned forward, "What do you mean?"

Ipo pointed at the screen, "Look at her. Blond hair, blue eyes. She's been kissing boys since the day she turned twelve."

"No way." Eugene stated.

Ipo chuckled, "Girls aren't stupid. She knows he's playing games to get with her and she's letting him."

"How do you know all of this?" Sid asked.

It was like the concept of women having the upper hand was absurd, "... I have a twin sister. She told me all of this stuff."

"I can't believe it." Oswalt said breathlessly, staring at the dirt under his feet.

The couple on screen kissed and men started acting like men. She heard, "What are you waitin' for? Fuck her!" and Snafu's voice faintly floated above the crowd, "You think she's blond down there?" Whistling, laughing, and clapping. Even Ipo couldn't help but smile. The end of the movie couldn't come quick enough in her opinion and she held in the tears as best as she could. Thank God it was dark. They all began shuffling back to their tents. Ipo accompanied Eugene to his tent to get his things and relocate himself to her tent. He could never say no to her.

As the two walked to their sleeping quarters, Eugene asked quietly, "Have you been kissin' boys since you were twelve?"

Ipo snorted, "No. I grew up on an island." When they were close to the tent she grinned at him, "I've been kissing boys since I was nine."

Eugene gaped at her as he followed her into the tent. He hadn't been paying attention to what tent he was entering until he was faced with the awful truth.

"This isn't a party tent, private." Burgin said. He was already laying propped up on his cot.

"There's no more room." Snafu said from his own bed.

Eugene and Ipo looked down at the still empty bunk that was across from her's. Ipo addressed Burgin, ignoring Snafu, "You lied to the Captain, then?"

Burgin's jaw tensed as he stared at Ipo for a moment before saying, "Welcome to the tent, Sledge."

In the middle of the night, as everyone was sleeping, something woke Snafu. At first, he thought it was something in his dream. It was a woman moaning. It was a good ass dream. But, as he opened his eyes, the woman was still moaning. Then, she whimpered. It turned from sexual to fearful very quickly. He turned on his cot and propped himself up on his elbows, eyes training on the source. Ipo was laying on his back, legs twitching and whimpers coming from his parted lips. It wasn't an odd occurrence on the island, but it was odd that this particular marine would have nightmares. This marine hadn't been in war, yet. Suddenly, a jacket flew through the air from the cot next to her and hit Ipo in the face. Eugene Sledge grunted, "Ipo!"

Ipo sat up quickly, eyes wide and breaths heavy. Eugene didn't say anything. He just rolled over and went back to sleep. He was used to it. The nightmares were reoccurring. Ipo's eyes glanced around, dazed until they fell onto Snafu's. He relaxed then, aware of where he was. Ipo grunted and threw himself back on the cot and flip around so that he was laying on his stomach. Within seconds, Snafu could tell that he was back asleep. Ipo didn't make a noise for the rest of the night.

What the fuck?

In the morning they were awoken by reverie. Ipo had the dream again, but she felt more drained than usual. She was silent while getting ready and during breakfast. The new guys had to get up earlier than the rest for extra training.

"You alright?" Eugene asked her. Ipo waved him off. Sledge, Leyden, and Oswalt all glanced at each other awkwardly. Immediately after breakfast they were ordered to the shooting range where they spent a few hours shooting at different targets. It wasn't until Gunny started yelling at one of the privates did she realize what was wrong with her. The head's eyes were open this time. They were open and faded and bulging out of the sockets. The image that flashed before her eyes was so realistic that she faltered back a step and squeezed her eyes shut, pinching the bridge of her nose with her fingers. Eugene's head jerked towards her, "What's wrong?"

Ipo shook her head, "Nothing."

"Everything alright down there?" Haldane yelled down the line at them.

"Yes, sir." Ipo shouted. She hated that she sounded like a girl.

Haldane nodded, "I think that's enough for today." Everyone was dismissed.

Ipo sat in the tent on her cot. She was alone in there, writing in her little book. She wrote songs. She never wrote more than a couple of lines at a time, thinking that a better line might float through her head sometime later. Eugene came in and sat down on his cot across from her, watching her. After a few minutes, he asked, "It's the dream, right? It's getting to you?" She didn't answer. Eugene sighed, "It might be better if you talk about it." Ipo finally glanced up at him. Maybe he was right. Maybe she should talk about it. Ipo closed her notebook and put it inside her rucksack. She leaned her elbows onto her knees. She absentmindedly rubbed at the tiki tattoo that took up half of her forearm.

They were quiet for a couple more minutes before Ipo spoke, "... I was at Pearl Harbor."

"I figured."

"Don't talk." Ipo fixed her sharp gaze on him for a moment, silencing him. She let out a sharp breath, "My family and I went there because my mother was a Hula dancer and she was supposed to greet the sailors coming in. My brother and my dad went to go look at the shops while I stayed with her. ʻAuliʻi was being watched back on Kauaʻi by Aunty Iolana. My dad and brother had been gone for about an hour, so she told me to go find them..." She paused, staring down at the small crack by Eugene's cot between the bottom of the tent and the floor, "... I barely got one foot off of the beach before I heard the buzzing of the airplane engines. I looked up and got a glimpse of the planes with the big red dots on the wings before there were huge blasts behind me. I fell to the ground and just laid there, covering my head. I felt that I should've went and found my mother. To get her to safety, but... I was terrified. Explosions after explosions were happening all around me. People were screaming and crying. I didn't think it was ever going to stop." Ipo's voice cracked at the end, but she wasn't crying, "It did, though. I stood up and when I looked back at the beach it was littered with body parts. There was only a couple of people still standing. My ears were ringing and... I think I was in shock.

I went back onto the beach, stepping on hands and toes that still twitched. I was looking for my her." Ipo looked up at Eugene, who wore an unreadable face, "I found her head. It was sitting in the exact same spot where she had been standing. Like her body was blown out from underneath her. I picked it up and started walking around with it. I remember thinking that I needed to know the color of her lipstick to find the rest of her because she painted her nails bright red to match. I just started picking up hands and legs. I don't know what I was thinking. I think I was holding three pairs of legs and four arms at one point. Eventually, I guess I thought that I had all of her and I started walking off the beach to go look for my family. I only made it half-way down the street before running into them. My dad took one look at my mother's head sitting on the pile of limbs in my arms and he started screaming. He never stopped. He had to be sent to an insane asylum." The air in the tent had thickened a thousand times as she paused and looked back up at Eugene's face, "Every night I dream that I'm being held down by severed limbs with Japanese birds circling me and my dead mother's head between my legs telling me that I'm going to die." Eugene looked uneasy. He'd know what she was talking about soon enough. After a bit, she asked, "... Do you wish you didn't ask?"

Eugene swallowed, "... A little."

Ipo grinned, "Well, get used to it, span title="friend"hoaaloha/span. You're in the war now."

Eugene cleared his throat and stood, "I'm going to go find Sid before he ships out."

"Aloha." Ipo swung her legs back up onto her cot and dug her book back out to continue writing.

Eugene exited the tent quickly, running smack dab into Snafu. "How long have you been standing there?" Eugene immediately asked. He felt like he had just ran a marathon from listening to that story. The way she could just easily smile afterwards chilled him to the bones.

Snafu just stared at him for a moment before lightly shaking his head, "I just got here." Eugene didn't believe him, but he needed to get away from the tent. He walked around Snafu. Eugene had seen a picture of Ipo before she decided to chop off her hair and fight in the war as a man. She kept the picture tucked away in her notebook. In the picture, she was looked very happy, her eyes bright and her smile was wide and she stood next to her long-time boyfriend, who looked like he fought great white sharks for a living. It was hard to imagine that girl with the long black hair and the hula skirt carrying around body parts.

Snafu walked into the tent, much to Ipo's dismay. He gave her a long glance before sitting down at the end of his cot. She felt him staring at her. She tried to ignore it, but it made her not able to think of anything to write. Ipo looked up at him and he quickly looked away, his chin resting awkwardly on his fist. It was obvious that he wanted her to know that he was staring. She rolled her eyes, "What?"

Snafu looked at her with raised eyebrows, "Me?" Ipo just stared at him. Snafu shrugged, "Nothin'."

Ipo lowered her gaze back to her book and started scribbling something- anything- just to avoid the anger that was slowly bubbling. She ended up starting to sketch a picture of a humuhumunukunukuapuaʻa- which was her little sister's most favorite thing in the world- in the few moments that Snafu was silently looking around the tent while occasionally glancing over at Ipo. Finally, he said, "Heard you in your sleep last night. Any girls in it?"

Ipo didn't care if he thought that she was having a wet dream,"Yeah."

He paused for a moment before saying, "... Between your legs?"

Ipo's eyes shot up to look at him. He heard. It was hard enough for Eugene to know, but now this guy? This fucking no good asshole heard everything. The anger rose at a dangerously fast pace. She had to leave. Ipo tossed her notebook onto her rucksack and stood up, exiting the tent without a second glance towards Snafu. She heard the door swing barely two seconds after she left as he followed her, saying loudly, "Come one, don't be mad! I was joking!" Many of the lingering marines stopped to watch him walk quickly to catch up to Ipo, who was walking incredibly fast despite the shortness of her legs. Snafu's hand gripped her shoulder, "Everyone on this island seen someone blown up. You're not special, so get that fucking chip off your shoulder."

A ringing burst through her ears. Ipo spun around and gripped Snafu's dog tags, yanking him forward. He jerked forward quite easily, not expecting Ipo to react, and her hard forehead was at the perfect height to crack against the bridge of his nose. Blood spurted out of his nostrils and she shoved him away hard, making him fall back onto the dirt. The ringing faded and she heard the hooting and hollering of the marines around them. They were clapping and she heard Oswalt in the distance yell, "You owe me three packs of Lucky Strikes!"

Snafu sat up on his elbows and wiped the blood onto the back of his hand. He grinned up at her, "Fiesty."

"Hey, hey! What's going on over here?" Captain Haldane walked over quickly, not happy.

Snafu stood up, letting the blood leak over his top lip, "Private Earpole is beating the shit out of me, sir." He said in all seriousness.

Haldane let out an amused scoff and turned to Ipo, "Is that right, Ipo?"

"Yes, sir." Ipo didn't hesitate in her answer.

Haldane rose his eyebrows, "I appreciate the honesty and I'm sure Shelton deserved it." Snafu's cocky expression fell. Haldane continued, speaking loudly to address everyone in the vicinity, "However, we do not let this sort of thing slide. We have enough bastards to fight out there, we don't need to do it here. The Marines are a family! And you will act like it!" He turned back to Snafu and Ipo, "You two will run on the beach until you can't see the sun any more. Get to it."

"Yes, sir." Snafu and Ipo chorused.

Captain Haldane nodded and walked away. Ipo glanced at Snafu, who licked the blood off of his lips, before walking ahead of him to the beach. Snafu took off his shirt as he followed her to wipe the blood off of his face. The marines were clapping, happy for the entertainment. Oswalt was clapping, "Way to go, Ipo!" While Leyden held out his arms to his side, "You couldn't have done this yesterday?"

"Just make another bet, I'm sure it'll happen again." She muttered at them. They went quiet and looked at each other at the realization.

As soon as her foot stepped onto the sand, she started jogging down to the other end. Until the sun went down. That was in a couple of hours. It felt very good to hurt Snafu and she wanted to do it again. However, she'd probably feel good hurting anybody. Absolutely anyone. She'd been like that her whole life. Angry and violent. It had gotten worse after what happened and Ipo hoped that by the time the war was over, she'd feel much better. Her anger would dissolve into nothing and she'd be who she was before. Someone with who had happiness in them, as well. Snafu jogged up next to her and didn't say anything. He just kept annoyingly close to her, his arm brushing against her's every once in a while. Ipo sped up, but he followed. They reached the other end of the beach and Ipo reached down to tap the ground before suddenly sprinting back the way they came from. "You wanna race?" Snafu called from behind her. He sounded way too happy for someone with a broken nose. Why wasn't he mad at her? Ipo could hear his footsteps gaining on her, but she was faster than him. Well, she thought she was until he came up beside her, barely inching past her. He had a wide smile on his face. It pissed her off. She didn't like this guy and he was having the time of his life dancing on her nerves. Ipo stuck out her foot and tripped him. Snafu fell down with a yell and rolled a couple of times as Ipo jumped over his flailing body. She ran on, a smile now on her face. "What the fuck?!" He yelled. He stayed lying in the sand, his chest heaving.

Ipo slowed down to a jog and touched the ground before heading back. Snafu was still lying on his back, hands behind his head. It looked like he was sunbathing. He never seemed like someone to take punishment, nor did he seem like the type to do anything menial. Lazy, no good, conceited asshole. As Ipo jogged by, Snafu suddenly snapped his hand out and gripped her ankle, yanking hard to bring her down. She barely had time to hit the ground before Snafu was on top of her, encasing her in a headlock and squeezing hard, choking her, "You think you can just hit me and I would do nothin'?" Ipo reached back and gripped his hair, yanking hard in one direction while slamming her elbow int his exposed side. Snafu grunted and folded in on that side as a reaction. At the same time, Ipo grabbed the arm that held her neck and used her entire upper body to flip him over her head. His back hit the ground, but he didn't let go. It was getting increasingly harder for her to breathe. Ipo had no choice but to roll over on top of him and when she did that, Snafu immediately encased her legs with his and threw his other arm over hers, which were still pulling at his arm around her neck. He squeezed like a boa constrictor. She couldn't move an inch. He was stronger than her. At bootcamp, no one was stronger than her. Then again, she was sent to the bootcamp meant for wimps (no offense to Eugene). "All I was trying to say," Snafu huffed into her ear, "Is that everyone's been through it. You don't see them moping around, havin' other guys answerin' for them and shit."

Oh. That's what this was about. He thought that Ipo's tense face and silence was because she was being a baby. That was the rule; not to speak. Not to speak and look tougher. She was shit at following it, but she still needed to when she could. Ipo didn't know how to respond. She closed her eyes and relaxed, letting go of the arm around her neck. "Are you playin' dead right now? I ain't a damn bear." As Snafu was saying this, he loosened the arm around her arms to look at her face, probably to see if he really did kill her. As soon as she felt enough leeway, she drove her elbow into his diaphragm hard enough for him to let go of her completely. Ipo jumped up and watched him as he started coughing, trying to find his breath. Very suddenly, he threw up. Mission accomplished.

Ipo watched him clutch his middle and spoke, "I'm not moping around. I just don't want friends." Ipo then turned and continued with what she had been ordered to do. Snafu had crawled over to a palm tree towards the back of the beach and rested against it, hand on his stomach. He watched her run back and forth with a blank face, which was something that seemed out of place on his annoying features. It was unknown how long had passed, but the sun was slowly disappearing over the horizon and she was sweating profusely, but it wasn't dark enough to take off her jacket. She just suffered. But, to wage war was to suffer. There was a noise from the grassy path that led back to the camp. Snafu snapped up to his feet, having caught his breath a while ago, and started running, too, being sure to stay away from Ipo.

"Captain Haldane says you two need to eat before you hit the barracks." Hillbilly barked at them in his usual tone before abruptly leaving.

Ipo followed him, Snafu following her. After five steps he said, "Bullshit."

"What now?" She grumbled to herself behind a clenched jaw.

"Bullshit; you don't want friends. You and Sledge are pretty tight."

Ipo stopped walking on the grassy path and turned to look at him, "Eugene Sledge is an exception. You? No."

He looked down the bridge of his nose at her, "I never fuckin' said I wanted to be."

"Bullshit." She answered before turning and walking away.

"The hell is that supposed to mean?" Snafu followed.

"span title="Suck a dick"He omo ule/span." Ipo responded.

Snafu stopped walking, his eyebrows furrowing as he watched her go, "The fuck is emthat/em supposed to mean?"

Ipo and Snafu avoided each other as they got food and sat down with their respective groups. "You missed it." Leyden was grinning at Eugene, "Look, he still has blood on his forehead." Ipo's hand flew up and wiped at her face with her sleeve. There was definitely blood there.

"I told you not to start anything." Eugene didn't look nor sound even remotely happy.

"I say let him go wild." Oswalt shoveled slop into his mouth, "I bet that Ipo strikes again next week."

"I bet within three days." Leyden chuckled.

"What's wrong with you?" Ipo grumbled at Eugene. Their two friends went silent as they waited for Eugene's answer.

Eugene was quietly picking at his babyfood for a moment before saying, "... Sid shipped out this morning. I didn't get to say goodbye." Eugene's three friends hummed their grievances.

Leyden clapped him on the back, "At least you got to spend some time with him."

"I'm sure you'll see him again soon." Ipo said without looking at him. She felt like if she looked him in the eye they'd share the silent message that it wasn't likely. Eugene was probably going to die.

Over at Snafu's table, he was in a discussion with Burgie and De 'Leau about who really won the fight when he was approached by two new Marines, "Hey, Snafu." The one that lead the other greeted.

Snafu looked up at him with raised eyebrows, "May I help you?"

"I was thinking more along the lines of me helping you." When Snafu raised an eyebrow, the new boy continued, "I'm here to offer advice on the islander."

That cocky smile stretch back over Snafu's lips, "Is that so?"

"Yeah." The Marine's face grew serious, "Stay away from him. He's dangerous. One time I made a little joke and I woke up to him holdin' a knife to my throat." Snafu's eyes slid over to Ipo, who was on the opposite side of the room. The two Marines followed his gaze, "For someone who claims to not be a Jap, he sure as hell acts like one."

Snafu's eyes snapped back to the men, "He ain't a fuckin' Jap. He's Hawaiian. What do you know about Japs, anyway? The only ones you've ever seen were in the funnies." The mens' faces fell. Snafu continued, "Get the fuck out of here. Don't ever think you can even look at me again."

It was time for them to sleep. Ipo was the first to enter the tent, followed closely by Eugene. Sitting on her bed was a book. She picked it up and read the title. It was by Edgar Allen Poe. "Figured you'd like it." Eugene said as he got ready for bed, "Since you're always writing."

Ipo nodded, "Thanks." Truthfully, she'd never read a single thing by Edgar Allen Poe in her life. The rest of the members came in. Snafu wouldn't even look in Ipo's general direction, to her delight. Pretty soon they were all tucked away. Ipo stayed awake until she was sure that everyone was asleep and took off the bandaging around her breasts. They needed to breathe. She stuffed the bandages under her rucksack on the floor and rolled onto her belly, falling asleep easily. She was awoken briefly a few hours later when Eugene's jacket once again hit her head. Ipo gripped her thin blanket and pulled it over her head, falling back asleep.

Meanwhile, the noises Ipo had been making sunk into Snafu's mind and mixed with the memory of the Hawaiian's soft body lying on top of his to make a very different dream than what he was used to. He snapped awake when Ipo's groans stopped, having finished in his dream. Snafu stared up at the ceiling of the tent, feeling like someone had punched him in the gut again. His pants were wet and sticky and at that moment he had to add another thing to the list of things that made him hate himself.

In the morning, Ipo didn't immediately get up at the call of the reverie. Every time Eugene shook her, she batted at his hand to leave her alone. The other occupants didn't get involved as they exited the tent one by one. As soon as Burgin left, Ipo looked up at Eugene, "Guard the door."

"What? Wh-" He didn't finish the question as she threw her blanket off of her, revealing two free mounds situated on her chest under her white shirt. Eugene snapped his gaze to the screen door in front of him, hissing quietly, "What the hell, Ipo? Why'd you take them off?"

"Imagine having your balls pressed up inside your body all the time."

"I don't want to imagine that." Eugene mumbled.

Ipo stood and pointed to the door, "Guard." Eugene shook his head as he exited the tent and did what he was told. Ipo picked up her bandages, shaking the land crab from it before taking off her shirt. The rest of her tattoo that ran up her bicep was almost solid black, only broken up by the thin twigs that bloomed a few red orchids. They moved up her arm, spreading onto her shoulder blade and collar bone like cracks. Orchids meant unparalleled beauty and red meant the color of lipstick and fingernail polish. The black was for the darkest day of her life, but it didn't spread as far as the orchids did onto her body. Her mother would always outlast the dark days. Ipo wrapped the bandages tightly around her breasts before pulling on the baggy white shirt and green jacket, as well as her boots. She pushed open the screen door, hitting Eugene's back on purpose and causing the man to jump.

They started walking to the cafeteria area, Eugene immediately scolding her, "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you want to get caught."

"Good thing you know better, then. Hey," Ipo changed the subject holding open the book that Eugene gave her to point to the name on the inside of the cover, "Who's Leckie?"

"He's in the First Marines. He has all of these books in his tent. Sid used to borrow a lot of books from him." Ipo grunted her understanding.

They got their food and sat down next to Leyden and Oswalt, who were arguing about something stupid as always. Ipo opened up the book and began reading the first poem in the book that was called 'The Raven' while eating. There were a lot of words that she'd never heard of before. And who the fuck was Lenore? And-, "What sound does a Raven make?" Ipo asked the table. She never heard a bird sound like it was saying 'Nevermore' in her entire life.

"Oh, it's a bit of a- a bit of a-" Leyden paused and started making a noise that sounded like a monkey.

"No, no, It's a-" Oswalt made almost exactly the same noise, but louder and raspier. Then, they were arguing about that, cawing at each other. Ipo and Eugene started laughing.

"What's so funny?" Came a familiar accent. They all immediately quieted as they looked up at Snafu. He had a large bruise on his torso that was already starting to fade to yellow at the edges. The bruise on his nose spread upwards and made his eyes swollen. Ipo had to look down at the book in front of her because it reminded her of another set of swollen eyes. It wasn't as if Ipo didn't obtain any bruises from the day before. She had a faint one running across her neck that itched.

"Hey, Snafu." Eugene greeted.

Snafu grunted at him before crouching down next to Ipo, getting uncomfortably close, "You see that guy, Earpole?" He pointed somewhere. Ipo ignored him, which earned her a smack on the back of the head, "Look." Eugene twitched like he was going to do something, but Ipo subtly held up a hand to stop him as she looked to where Snafu was pointed. It was a guy that she had been in bootcamp with. The guy that Gunny yelled out the day previously. He was a bitch named Jameson. Snafu turned to look at Ipo, "He thinks you're a Jap. Really has it out for you."

Leyden snorted, "Who doesn't have it out for Ipo?"

She glared at him, "span title="Thanks a lot"Mahalo nui/span, Leyden."

Snafu got that smile of his on his face, "span title="Just thought you should know"Je me suis dit qu'il fallait que tu le saches/span."

Ipo's head jerked towards him as he stood up and walked away from the table. She looked at Eugene, "What ʻōlelo was that?"

Eugene always used context clues to guess what she meant, "French. He's from Louisiana."

"They speak French in Louisiana?"

"In some parts." He answered.

"At least they don't fuckin' speak Hawaiian." Leyden stated, pointing his spoon at her, "That shit sounds like a bunch of grunts and groans. Like caveman speak."

"Fuck you." Ipo kicked him under the table, only she actually accidentally kicked Oswalt.

"Ever notice how he says 'fuck'?" Leyden continued, enjoying himself, "'Fook'. Ridiculous."

"Alright, that's enough." Eugene said, trying to hide his smile.

Training had become more intense. Ipo had went from being the best to being average. At least she wasn't the worst. Her endurance was great and any time she had to climb something, she was the first to finish. Where she lived on Kauaʻi, she could either travel an hour on a road or climb a cliff for three minutes. Ipo was a very impatient person. However, that great ability to climb had made a few people start calling her 'monkey' behind her back. She had a feeling that she knew who started it. It was invigorating to hear Captain Haldane call out, "Well done, Ipo!" Every now and then. She wasn't the only one getting praise, but still. Snafu didn't even so much as look in her direction for the rest of the day, which was a nice change from the intense gazes he had been giving her since she arrived. She didn't feel like she was under a microscope. The next morning during breakfast, Ipo was still reading the book of poems. She was on 'The Black Cat', which made her jaw hang from its hinges and Eugene chuckle at her. It was that morning when her suspicions of the perpetrator of the gross nickname was confirmed as he passed by the table and muttered the slur quietly under his breath. It was very strange. She had just finished reading the part where the man had been filled with blinding rage and there she was, being filled with the same thing. Her ears began to ring and very quickly, Ipo stood and gripped the back of his grinning head, slamming it down against the wood table as the metal trays clanked. When he bounced back up, she shoved him hard and he fell back, hitting the back of his head on a neighboring bench seat.

He didn't move.

Unlike with Snafu, no one was clapping or whistling. Everyone was so quiet as they stared at the man on the floor, wondering if he was dead. Ipo's heart raced. She killed him. She wasn't even in the fucking war yet and she killed someone. Slowly, people started turning their gaze to Ipo. Someone ran to go get the Captain. She stood there staring at him as Eugene's shaky hand grabbed her shoulder from behind her, "... Ipo?"

Ipo swallowed, her voice shaking as much as his hands, "span title="I didn't"ʻAʻole au/span-"

The man groaned. He groaned and turned his head. Ipo's shoulders immediately relaxed and she no longer felt bad. Captain Haldane came jogging in, observing Ipo standing over yet another man on the ground. He turned to two of the nearest marines, "Take Private Jameson to the medical tent." They helped the dazed man up and escorted him out. Haldane placed his hands on his hips as he stared down at Ipo, "What was it this time?"

Although she did sound nor feel confident, she said, "Just reminding him which side I'm fighting for, sir."

"And which side is that?"

"My own, sir."

Haldane's nostrils flared, "You could've killed him."

Ipo's jaw tensed, "I realize that now, sir."

"'Now?' You better learn to think first and act later." Captain Haldane was angry, "emNow/em," He started getting louder, "We're down a marine because you can't fuckin' think!" It occurred to her that no one in the room had ever seen him as mad as he was then. They all looked surprised, "Starting today, you'll run through the drills twice until I feel like I have a full platoon, do you understand?"

"Yes, sir." Ipo stated.

He turned to the rest of the marines in the cafeteria, "Everyone to the shooting range! Now!"

As everyone walked to the shooting range, Leyden muttered to Oswalt, "I'll take those Lucky Strikes back."

Ipo was told to run through the drills the first time with everyone else, which lasted until lunch. Whereas everyone else was allowed to go, she was forced to stay and start over, starting at the shooting range with Gunny Haney screaming in her ear. If he felt that she wasn't giving her all just like a whole other marine would, she was forced to do it again to his liking. Ipo felt like she was fucking dying. Gunny had forgone dinner, saying that doling out punishments for new guys was nourishment enough. She took one five minute break the whole day to drink water, but she drank it too fast and threw up, which Gunny threated to make her eat because water was a precious resource. Every inch of her was aching, even her eyelids as they were forced to stay open well after the sun had went down. Finally, Gunny said that he was tired and she did good enough. Ipo's feet dragged against the dirt as she walked to her tent. Everyone was already in bed. She opened to door to the tent and stepped inside, immediately laying down on her bunk.

"I got your book." Eugene said. He waited up for her. He tossed the book at her and it landed on her sore stomach, making her grunt, "Snuck you some chow, too."

Ipo peaked open her eye and glanced over at Eugene. He was holding out some babyfood with a spoon sticking out of it. She held out the hand that was hanging over the side of her cot and he sat it into her palm, "Mahalo." She proceeded to eat while laying down, hoping that maybe she'd choke.

"Can't you control yourself?" Ah, there it was. The scolding.

"ʻAʻole." She answered, too tired to speak English.

"He deserved it." Came that voice from the other end of the tent.

"That doesn't mean Ipo can just go around hurting people."

"span title="You hear me"Lohe ʻolua iā aʻu/span?" Ipo asked, setting the food on the floor, "span title="I said"Mea mai au/span, "span title="No"ʻAʻole/span.""

"You're not speaking English, Ipo." Eugene felt the need to remind her.

"None of ya'll should be speakin' shit." Burgin said loudly from his bunk, "Shut the fuck up and go to sleep."

Everyone was silent for a moment before Snafu said, "span title="Good night"Bonne nuit/span, Earpole."

However, she was already asleep./p


	2. Chapter 2

~~ **A/N** ~~

Everything keeps screwing up when I try to post this story. The English translations will be at the bottom.

The next couple of days were brutal for Ipo. Apparently, Jameson was injured enough to not be able to train for a week. She hardly spoke to anyone because she didn't have the time nor the energy. She was allowed to go to meals, where she was forced to eat with Gunny very quickly before going back to her double drills. Ipo learned very quickly that she couldn't slack, no matter how much she was in pain. "That's why you should always half-ass things." Snafu had told her when she stumbled in the tent the night before, "So they never expect you to do better." She ignored him. That's what she had been resulting to. Ignoring the big, annoying thorn in her side.

That morning during breakfast, Captain Haldane ordered everyone to the makeshift boxing ring. He stood in the center, speaking loudly for everyone to hear, "I realized something the other day- Ipo come up here."

"Fuck." Ipo breathed quietly to herself from her spot at the back in between Eugene and Leyden.

"Good luck." Oswalt muttered from his spot behind her.

Ipo wove her way through the crowd and climbed in between the ropes. She didn't like being up there with all the men staring up at her. She felt that the longer they stared, the quicker they'll realize that there was no bulge in her pants. Haldane began pacing around her, "How tall are you, Ipo?"

She tried to calm her heart, "Five feet, sir."

There was a chorus of chuckles from the men as Haldane said, "God damn, Ipo, you're about the shortest marine I've ever seen." There was a sinking in her stomach. He knew and he was going to reveal it right in front of of everyone. "And how much do you weigh?"

Ipo tried not to shift uncomfortably, "98 pounds, sir."

"You are a tiny, tiny man, Ipo." The men laughed again. She was too tired to be mad. Captain Haldane spoke loudly, "That's why I don't understand how you were able to take down two men who are much, much bigger than you." There was no laughter. "One could be a fluke, but two? ...I don't know. So," Haldane clapped his hands together, "Today will be a little different. I want to see if Ipo here was just a Two Hit Wonder or if my men need more training to be able to take down a 5 foot, 98 pound man. Don't worry, Marines, I tired him out for ya." Ipo winced as he clapped his hand onto her shoulder, muttering to her, "And maybe you'll get out some of that anger."

Ipo's anger was never ending.

Haldane began shoving boxing gloves onto her hands, "Alright, who's first?"

"I am!" Gunny shouted immediately, "Little fucker's been eying me for days." He climbed into the ring without confirmation the Captain. Ipo was in pain and she _had_ been giving him the evil eye. She was going to get fucked up. Haldane either had too much faith in her abilities or he wanted to punish her further. She glanced over at her small group of friends. Eugene looked concerned, Oswalt was shaking his head in sympathy, while Leyden shouted, "Whoo! Kick his ass, Ipo!"

Gunny Haney was a terrifying man. If Snafu was stronger than her, then Gunny most definitely was. He walked around without a shirt on just to show off how strong he was. She had to be smart, not strong. As Haldane finished putting the other glove on Gunny, Ipo asked, "Is there a bell?" She sounded more calm and controlled than she actually was. She just had to pretend he was a shark and that she was fighting for her life. She had to ignore the stinging in her muscles every time she twitched. This was her life she was fighting for.

Haldane backed away into the corner quickly, "First one on the ground loses. Whenever you're-" He didn't finish before Ipo swung hard at Gunny's diaphragm with her left hand, making him double over, before punching him in the nose with her right hand. The men cheered and clapped as Gunny fell back against the ropes, holding himself up so he didn't fall down. She'd hoped that she would've stunned him enough that he'd fall down, but this guy was a veteran and her muscles felt like they were going to explode. As she waited for Gunny to get up, she stretched them and hopped up and down. Gunny stood with a smile and he seemed like he was ten feet tall. Ipo couldn't hear the marines any more. All she could hear was the blood rushing into her ears as the panic set in and the shark approached with its fists up. Sharks didn't have fists. This was wrong. A mutant shark. He swung at her in the time that her mind was faltering and whacked the red glove on her cheek bone. She almost fell down, but stopped herself as she stumbled to the side. Thankfully, the hit knocked her back into reality and Ipo ducked quickly as he swung again. She used the fact that he was so close to her to jab her elbow hard into his side. As his body bent in reaction, Gunny beat his fist against her spine, but could only do it thrice before she laced her foot behind his ankle and twisted her entire body to get away from his fist. In her desperation, the force she used was tremendous and Gunny went down, hitting the white floor of the ring with a large thud, her butt hitting the ground a couple of seconds after him from the effort. She won.

The marines watching cheered loudly, loud enough for her to hear over the ringing in her ears and pain in her body. Haldane stepped in quickly before Gunny could act on the anger in his eyes, "Well, well! It looks like I need to be training you guys more." He patted Gunny on his back, telling him to go wipe the blood from his nose. Ipo took off a glove and reached back, pressing on the spot where Gunny hit her to see if it was broken. "You alright?" Haldane asked her. She nodded in response.

"I call next!" An annoying voice called out from the crowd. Haldane and Ipo looked at Snafu, who had a grin on his face and a hand raised in the air.

"You already had your turn!" One of the marines teased.

"I want a re-match!" Snafu answered.

Haldane looked at Ipo with a half-smile, "What do you say? You up for a re-match?"

"Sir, if Snafu wins, can everyone have the day off?" Ipo mumbled.

Haldane looked like he was thinking it over before he nodded, "If Snafu wins, everyone has the day off." The marines immediately started harassing Snafu, demanding that he win. Haldane pointed at Ipo, "But, you have to try."

Ipo nodded, "Yes, sir." Haldane put the glove back onto her hand.

Snafu climbed up, the smile never leaving his face and his gaze never shifting from her's as Haldane put on his gloves, "I almost had you last time."

"Kulikuli." Ipo grumbled. He was going to have her this time. She started with the hardest one first, in her opinion. She wore herself out very quickly and didn't want to do a God damn thing the rest of the day. The bruises on Snafu were fading to an ugly shade of yellow and were making him look sickly.

Haldane backed up, "Alright, go ahead."

Ipo had an overwhelming sense of dread as Snafu brought his fists up to his face and started bouncing around dramatically. She felt like she was frozen. She didn't want to hit him. She couldn't think of a reason why and her vision faded out for a split moment at the sudden realization, but was brought back quickly when his glove connected with her cheek, making her stumble back. Snafu had no problems hitting her. Ipo could hear Oswalt and Leyden shouting, not wanting her to lose even if it meant that they had to work. Ipo stuck her fists up, remembering that Haldane said to try. Snafu's tongue swiped across his bottom lip and Ipo's heart sped up and her leg jut out in response, aiming a kick at his diaphragm. He caught her leg and twisted it, but she used that to her advantage and launched in the air using her other leg and twisted, kicking the side of his head. Her boot cut his eyebrow as he let go over her leg, stumbling away. Ipo barely landed on her feet and she quickly moved away from him to regain her posture. Her entire body had gone numb by that point. She turned back to him and barely noticed how half of his face was covered in blood as she swung at him. Snafu dodged it, more prepared for her than she thought, and unexpectedly charged at her, digging his shoulder into her gut and hooking his arms around the back of her thighs, yanking her knees up to chest. Ipo quickly threw her arms around his neck, holding on tightly so her back wouldn't hit the ground.

Snafu was now holding her as he whispered, "Vraiment?" Strangely into her ear. Snafu then purposefully fell forward. Ipo's head and back hit the white ground. She would have bounced if Snafu wouldn't have landed hard on top of her, knocking the wind out of her. Everyone cheered loudly because, technically, Snafu did win. It was smart thinking on his part. Ipo's arms slid from around his neck, confused as to why Snafu hadn't moved off of her yet and annoyed from that blood of his that was now on her. He only rested on her for a couple of seconds, but it felt like a long time. Snafu took a deep breath in and let it out against her ear, "Pourquoi dois- je aime ce?"

He got off of her, then, taking off a glove to help her up. No one else seemed to notice the amount of time that he laid on her. Snafu's cocky smile returned as he hoisted her up and he threw his arm over her shoulder as Haldane announced, "Thank Snafu for your day off!"

Ipo dug her still-gloved hand into Snafu's side, pushing him away from her. Snafu laughed, "Don't be mad!"

Ipo didn't respond. She just took off her gloves and got out of the ring. Captain Haldane called out to her, "Ipo! Be at my tent in five minutes!"

She nodded, "Yes, sir." Ipo was looking for one person and she was glad that he was so close to the front of the crowd. "Gunny Haney." He had been walking away, but turned around when he was addressed. Ipo stuck out her hand and with a smile said, "I think you broke my back, sir."

Gunny narrowed his eyes at her for a moment and she thought that he was going to swing at her when he suddenly grabbed her hand and shook it hard, "Good." He walked away after that, but at least things were good between them now. That was the one man who she didn't want to piss off.

A hand suddenly clamped down onto her sore should, making her flinch, and Oswalt came into her field of vision, "You... are like a ninja."

"Are you okay?" Eugene asked, grabbing her chin to get a better look at her cheek where Snafu hit her.

Ipo smacked his hand away, "ʻAe. Gunny fucked up my back, though." She pressed her hand against her spine.

"Let me see-"

"Jesus, Sledge." Leyden's laugh was a little forced, "You ain't his mama. Let him be a man."

It was awkward for a moment before Ipo said that she needed to go. She walked to Captain Haldane's tent, seeing he wasn't there yet. Ipo squatted down, resting for a moment. She still felt Snafu's breath on her ear and his warm body between her legs and it had a strange effect on her. It made a sadness sink into her bones as she began to think severely about Analu. He was also kanaka maoli, but he grew up on Oʻahu. They knew each other since their ages were in single digits. He was the boy that Ipo was kissing when she was nine. Her family used to go over to Oʻahu so that Ipo's mother could teach Hula. That was where they met, in a hula class. Analu and hers relationship was full of insane drama. Ipo's brother, Inoke, absolutely hated Analu for no other reason than it was his job as her brother. Ipo loved Analu because he was always there for her, always chose her, and could handle her temper. It also helped that he was extremely attractive.

"Ipo." Captain Haldane approached. Ipo popped up and saluted. "Step inside." Captain Haldane walked into his tent and held the flap open for her, letting it flop closed behind her and block out most of the natural light. He sat down heavily on his cot, "How are you feelin', Ipo?"

"Worn out, sir."

Haldane chuckled, "You always tell the truth. That's good." He clasped his hands together and leaned forward, "What's not good is your temper. Every marine needs to be level-headed or they will not end up going home. You're very good. You try your hardest and would be an example if you didn't attack people." He was very blunt.

Ipo was quiet for a moment before answering, "I understand, sir."

"Maybe count to ten before you react to your fellow marine's jokes."

She nodded, "Yes, sir."

Captain Haldane stared at her for a moment before nodding, "Good. You're dismissed."

"Thank you, sir." Ipo left the tent and headed back to her own.

Eugene was in there by himself, sitting on his cot, writing in his bible. He looked up at her and she immediately asked, "Can you check my back?" His dad was a doctor, so he must have picked something up. It was way less embarrassing when there were no men around. The pain in her back was constant now.

"Sure." Ipo turned her back to him and lifted up her shirt. Eugene started pressing against her spine, asking where it hurt. He kept pressing lower and lower, which confused her because it didn't hurt where Gunny had hit her. Suddenly, the door to the tent opened and Snafu got one foot in before stopping and staring at them with raised eyebrows. Eugene and Ipo froze, staring back at him.

Snafu finally spoke after a short moment, "You dealing out sensual massages, Sledge?"

"I'm just checking his back." Eugene defended.

"Shark Bait's dad is a doctor." Ipo chipped in.

Snafu stared at her, "... Shark Bait?" It sounded like a statement. He stepped in fully to the tent and made his way to his cot.

Eugene quietly gasped before standing up as Snafu's back was turned and whispered urgently close to her ear, "Blood." Ipo looked up at him in confusion. Eugene clarified quickly, "Wa." Ipo's eyes widened. She had taught him that word for this exact reason. The pain in her lower back were cramps. She had just started her period and it was leaking through her pants.

She glanced over at Snafu, who was shaking a land crab out of his blanket and whispered to her friend while taking of her jacket, "Go steal some rags."

He shook his head, "Ipo-"

"Please, Eugene." She tied her jacket around her waist. Eugene didn't look happy, but turned to go. Ipo stopped him quietly, "Wait," When he looked at her, she motioned to her chest, "Can you see them?" Eugene shook his head and left.

Ipo swallowed the lump in her throat and turned around, running immediately into Snafu's chest. He was standing too close to her, "Where'd your _friend_ run off to?" He stressed. Ipo went to push him away, but he grabbed her arm, examining her tattoos that covered her arm, dragging his fingers unnecessarily over the lines and triangles, "What do these mean? And what the fuck is that?" He asked, pointing to the angry detailed face of the tiki. His fingers burned her skin.

Ipo yanked her arm away and sat down on her cot. Annoyingly, Snafu sat down next to her, waiting for her to answer. She wasn't in the mood, but she wanted him to keep distracted just in case he could some how see the change in her. She answered, pointing to the lines, "These are achievements. One is when I graduated high school, one when I caught a fish with my hands for the first time. This one-" She pointed to the one that circled her wrist like a bracelet, "Is when I did my first hula performance."

"I thought only girls did hula."

"Fuck off, men hula, too. Only the women greet tourists so that they'll buy more shit."

Snafu laughed and she blamed her period for her sudden hormonal change towards him. He pointed to the couple rows of triangles that had tiny little lines coming from the bases, "What about these?"

"Shark teeth. For protection."

Snafu grunted, dragging his finger down and stopping at the face, "This?"

"Pele."

"What?"

"Pele. The Goddess of volcanoes, violence, thunder, fire, wind, dance."

Snafu whistled, "That's a lot of things."

"Because she was so passionate about everything. But, she was filled with, um, huhu wela loa, which means a lot of... Rage. It got her into a lot of trouble, both her passion and anger."

Snafu rested his temple against his fist and stared at her, "What kind of trouble?"

She stared down at her tattoo. Ipo wanted him to go away. Eugene was going to come back, if he didn't get caught first, and she didn't want Snafu there asking questions. She looked up at Snafu, ignoring the strange way he was looking at her, "I'll tell you if you do something for me."

Snafu rose his eyebrows, "What?"

"I want another book from Leckie."

"Why can't you get it yourself?"

"Because I'm tired, in pain, and you owe me for letting you win."

Snafu scoffed, "Bullshit." But, he stood up anyway, lighting a cigarette as he left the tent. Ipo felt that he knew. He knew that she was a span wahine. Either that or he was a homosexual. She didn't care if he was; no one did in Hawaiʻi. But, she was not a boy. Ipo wanted him to stop looking at her and touching her. It made her skin crawl.

The door to the tent opened a minute later to reveal Eugene clutching a medium sized rucksack. There was visible sweat on his forehead from the stress of what he just had to do. He handed it over to her, "Never ask me to do that again."

"Friends do stuff for each other, Shark Bait. I'd do the same for you."

"Yeah, well, we're not friends."

"Liar. Guard the door, ke ʻoluʻolu ʻoe. Don't let anyone in, no matter what."

Eugene nodded with a sigh, knowing the drill by then. He left the tent and sat down on the little stoop in front of the door. Ipo went over and dropped the drapes so that no one could look in over his head. She opened the bag of rags and took one out, ripping it into strips with the help of her knife. She was trying to hurry as fast as she could. Ipo untied her jacket and yanked off her pants. She pulled down the white briefs that all marines were given and rolled up a strip of rag. She stood with her legs apart, squatting a little while she pressed the cloth into her bleeding opening. She froze as she heard voices outside talking to Eugene. "He's sleeping." Eugene responded to a question. Ipo was in a very compromising position. She continued to stick it in as far as she could before grabbing another strip and sliding it into her folds, where it would act as a dam.

"Which he well deserves." It was Oswalt. Leyden was no doubt with him. Ipo pulled up her bloodied underwear and kicked her pants under her cot. "We brought some hooch." Leyden shook a bottle of liquid. Ipo dug inside of her rucksack, looking for her other pair of pants. She couldn"t find them. "So, wake Ipo up and let's party."

Ipo's heart jumped from panic as someone grabbed the handle. She needed pants. Eugene stopped him, "Ipo doesn't drink."

Eugene. That blessed man.

Ipo jumped over to Eugene's cot and searched under it for his bag. She unceremoniously dug in it, pulling out Eugene's extra pair of pants as Leyden chuckled, "He will now."

"Hey," Came another voice, "I just kicked his ass. Let him cry in peace."

Leyden scoffed, "Whatever." He was disappointed. He didn't like Snafu that much, "We'll be back later, Eugene." Their footsteps shuffled in the dirt as they walked away.

"You gon' move?" Snafu gripped the handle of the door and pulled, knocking Eugene out of the way. Eugene popped up and quickly entered the tent behind Snafu, heart racing and eyes wide. He only calmed down a fraction when he saw Ipo lying on her stomach on her cot, pretending to sleep. That was too close for either of their liking. Snafu smacked the book that he had chosen down onto her back, making her grunt in surprise, "Here's your damn book."

Ipo reached back and grabbed it, holding it in front of her squinted eyes. It was a dark green cover with a gold name that read, "Jane Eyre?"

Eugene snorted before noticing his stuff spewed about on his bed. It didn't take him long to figure out that the pants that graced her bottom were his. They were awkwardly cinched at the waist where her belt was trying its hardest to make them fit her.

"You didn't say which book." Someone from outside the tent shouted that it was time for lunch. The three of them stood up, Ipo putting her jacket back on. It was uncomfortable to move, let alone walk and sit. This was how it was in bootcamp, except Ipo was the one stealing the rags. Here, though, there was a very limited amount of supplies, so she could waste any.

During lunch, Leyden and Oswalt complained to her, but she just told them that she was celebrating by taking a break and that they could get drunk by themselves if they wanted to. The rest of the day was spent in the tent by herself. Eugene went with Oswalt and Leyden while the rest of the occupants of her tent did something elsewhere. She had discarded Jane Eyre in favor of Edgar Allen Poe. She was on 'The Tell-Tale Heart'. It was all going fine and well until:

" _First of all I dismembered the corpse. I cut off the head and the arms and the legs_."

The pages were blanked out by the disgusting image of her mother's head. She slammed the book shut and rubbed her closed eyes. It was real, but now it's not, Ipo told herself. Her mother's parts were buried in forest lining their backyard on Kauaʻi. She wasn't here, she wasn't between Ipo's ankles. Ipo hadn't even been in battle yet and she was acting like a kohe. She put her book away and laid back onto her cot, covering her eyes with her forearm. She had fallen into a stressed sleep when Oswalt beat on the tent's door, waking her up, "Chow time, Ipo, get your lazy ass up!" They didn't talk about anything special during dinner.

That evening, they had all just settled in for bed. She knew she wasn't going to be able to sleep. She'd be too worried about bleeding through. She'd have to go to the head in the middle of the night, change the cloth, rinse the other one out on the beach, try to get rid of the stain in her pants, and sneak back into the tent without being caught or shot. At that moment, though, Snafu spoke from his bed, his hands under his head as he stared up at the ceiling, "What kind of trouble, Earpole?"

Ipo sighed loudly, "People are trying to sleep, Snafu."

"They can fuckin' ignore it. What trouble did she get in?"

"Who?" Eugene asked.

"You guys want a fucking bed time story?" Ipo grumbled. She was ignored.

"Pele." Snafu answered him.

"Who's Pele?" Burgin joined in. The one person she could always count on to shut things down failed her this time. Jay was snoring heavily from his spot in the corner.

"The Goddess of volcanoes and violence and shit." Snafu said.

"Why'd she get in trouble?" Eugene asked.

"Ola no laila aʻu i ke Akua." Ipo muttered to herself before speaking normally, "Alright. You want to hear about when she was banished or when she was in love with Chief Lohiʻau?"

Eugene and Snafu both tried to say the latter, while Burgin chose the former. "You're out voted." Snafu told him.

"Maybe next time, Burgie." Eugene said.

"Alright, alright, pay attention." Ipo cleared her throat and rubbed her eyes, "So, Pele had a lot of siblings. Her favorite was Hiʻiaka, who hatched from an egg that Pele carried under her armpit."

"Disgusting!" Eugene interrupted.

"I bet the smell is what did it." Snafu laughed.

Burgin shushed them, telling her to carry on. Ipo spoke through a grin, "Anyway, after Hiʻiaka was all grown up, Pele went, in spirit, to Kauaʻi- which is where I live-"

"You're not making that up are you?" Snafu asked, "Tryin' to look cool."

"No, stop interrupting. She went to Kauaʻi and watched people dance at a pahula. She turned her spirit into a beautiful woman and fell in love with Chief Lohiʻau. They spent a few weeks together, but she was getting tired and had to go back to her body on the Big Island. When she woke up, she just had to have him, but she couldn't leave. So, she asked Hiʻiaka to go convince Lohiʻau to come to Pele."

"Poor choice of words." Burgin said, making the other two listeners laugh.

Ipo snorted, "As I was saying, before Hiʻiaka left, the sisters made a promise to each other. Hiʻiaka promised to ignore Lohiʻau's advances if he found her attractive and Pele promised to keep her lava away from the ohiʻa trees where Hiʻiaka liked to hula with her friend Hopoe."

"Too many names." Snafu groaned.

Ipo ignored him, "So, Hiʻiaka went and found Lohiʻau, who had died from a broken heart after Pele went away, but Hiʻiaka was able to bring him back to life. The two then traveled back to the Big Island, but it had been too long. Pele convinced that Hiʻiaka broke her promise and ran away with the chief. In her jealous rage, she sent lava into the ohiʻa grove. Hopoe was trapped and was killed by the flames. When Hiʻiaka arrived, she was so sad that she fell into Lohiʻau's arms. Pele saw this and sent down more lava straight at them, killing Lohiʻau- again. Pele's brother, Kanemilohai, saw the chief's spirit floating passed his canoe and caught it. He put the spirit back inside the body and Hiʻiaka and Lohiʻau went back to Kauaʻi to live happily for the rest of their lives."

The tent was silent for a few long moments and Ipo had thought that she put them to sleep until Snafu said, "So, that's it? Her sister runs off with the man she loves?"

"Pele never has a happy ending, that's the point."

"What is? What's the fucking point?" Snafu sounded genuinely angry.

"I think," Eugene weighed in, "The point is to always be patient and have a level head."

"Yeah," Burgin said, "And not to jump to conclusions."

"Pele is a great symbol for being passionate," Ipo tried to explain, "But, she also represents a warning from being too passionate. Because it can end up hurting people." She knew from experience.

"Whatever." Snafu muttered, turning over in his sleep, "The other story better be not be shit like this one."

"It is." Ipo stated.

A couple of hours later, Ipo did the things that she was supposed to do. It was eerie walking around on the island by herself at night. The sound of the ocean almost drowned out the pained noises from the marines who were having nightmares. When she washed her pants in the ocean, she stared out across it for a few minutes. She fantasized about laying on the water and letting it carry her away until she landed on Keʻe Beach. But, if she closed her eyes, she could hear the bombs in the distance that could be mistaken for thunder and the brightness of the blast for lightning. It brought her out of whatever trance that the moonlight against the ocean had put her in and planted her back into her right mind.

She was never going home.

A couple of weeks later, they were sitting at lunch when the mail was passed around. Her period had come and gone the same way it always did. Ipo didn't talk to anyone for the duration because she was in pain, in a bad mood, and she was afraid that she was going to say something that would start another fight. Snafu had snapped at her a few times about her ignoring him. Her silence was really driving him up the wall. Ipo started talking to people again when it was over, but the damage was done by then, according to Snafu. It wasn't like she really liked him, anyway. Leyden and Oswalt had been used to her sudden drop of mood. They chalked it up to her being insane.

"Ipo's got letters!" Leyden pointed out.

"Please, please let one be from ʻAuliʻi." Oswalt placed his hands together and looked up at the sky.

"It's your lucky day." Ipo waved the letter in his face.

"Come on, then, read it." Eugene was smiling. Ipo opened the letter and took out the single sheet of paper that had large messy handwritten Hawaiian. ʻAuliʻi had started to learn how to read and write a year earlier. Her hands were still too small for the pencil. They started learning young in her family. Ipo began to read it, "Ipo, thank you for the birthday wishes, but my birthday is ten days away."

"It was her birthday? How old is she?" Oswalt asked.

"She turned five a few weeks ago."

"Five? That's a special age." Eugene said.

Ipo snorted, "For what? Catching frogs and picking noses?"

"Get on with the letter." Leyden laughed.

"I think Inoke is going to get me new sandals, but we don't have that much money. I'm having trouble with hula school."

"Oh, here we go again." Leyden groaned, "She's always having trouble with something. First, it was the pokey-"

"Pōpoki." Ipo corrected.

"- Then, her fuckin' peepee, which was way too much information-"

"Pipi kauō." Ipo stressed.

Oswalt cut in, "She had somethin' wrong with her hair once."

"And regular school." Eugene chimed.

"Okay, first of all," Ipo put down the letter, "She's five, leave her alone. Second of all, she didn't have a problem with school, she had a problem with the teacher."

"Why?" Eugene asked.

"Because my brother is an ʻōkole."

"Your brother is her teacher?" Leyden asked.

Ipo was quiet for a moment before settling on saying, "... Yeah." She didn't really need to explain that the only reason he was teaching her was because all of the teachers on the island were either sent away or ran and Inoke was too terrified of the military that controlled their comings and goings to take her to Oʻahu. "Anyway, she says: "I keep forgetting the chant." Ipo stopped reading, her jaw going slack and eyes widening.

"What? What is it?" Eugene asked.

Ipo dropped her hand onto the table, the letter still grasped in it as she covered her eyes with her other one. Eugene looked at the letter, but he didn't understand anything on it, "What?"

"Ipo." She said.

Her three friends glanced at each other before Leyden spoke slowly, "Yeah, that's your name..."

"No." Ipo looked at the letter, pointing to the sentence she was reading, "Ua ola aʻu kuʻu ipo. "My ipo"."

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Oswalt asked.

Suddenly, Eugene started chuckling before throwing his head back and laughing with gusto. Leyden leaned back and spread his arms out, "What the fuck is happening right now? Eugene?"

"Shut your damn mouth, Shark Bait." Ipo warned.

He grinned, "'Ipo' means 'sweetheart'. ʻAuliʻi has a boyfriend."

A loud snort sounded from behind Ipo, "Your name means 'sweetheart'? Forget 'Earpole', I'm calling you that from now on."

They all turned and looked at Snafu. He was sitting with Burgin and De L'eau at the table behind them, his two friends laughing along with her three friends. "No, you will not." Her tone was threatening.

"You gonna stop me? Sweetheart?"

"He's going to fuck you up if you don't cool it, Snaf." Burgin said through his chuckles.

Eugene patted Ipo's shoulder, "Just ignore him, Ipo. What else does ʻAuliʻi say?" Eugene was afraid that she was going to get angry, but she wasn't. She was actually kind of relieved. Snafu didn't look mad at her any more as he smiled lazily.

Ipo turned back around and picked up the letter. Snafu's face burned itself into the back of her eyes and she didn't understand why. She sighed, "His name is Kalei. Kalei? I know this kid." She paused and shook her head, "She's five. Why the fuck does she-?" Ipo cut herself off with an irritated groan.

"Think about it. She'll turn nine in four years." Eugene said.

Ipo's eyes widened again, "I need to catch the next ship home. I need to stop this."

"What, are you going to kick the shit out of a six year old?" Oswalt snickered.

"If I fucking need to. ʻO ia kuʻu kaikaina a e poʻa au keikikāne kekahi i pā ʻili ʻo ia." Ipo's anger manifested itself in a small rant. Her friends began to laugh at her.

"Jesus, Ipo." Eugene said.

"Whatever. Ke hoʻopau nei iaʻu." Ipo turned back to the letter, "I'm ignoring everything about that kid and skipping ahead. ʻAuliʻi goes on and says that she wishes that I was home because Inoke is making her help with the sugarcane and it makes her itch."

"You live on a farm?" Leyden asked.

Ipo nodded, "With an ox, a couple of pigs, and we had a cow once named Poʻalua, which means Tuesday."

"Was it born on a Tuesday?" Eugene asked.

"ʻAe... Ate him on a Friday, though."

"That's fucked up." Leyden shook his head.

Ipo grinned as she put the letter back into its envelope and opened her other letter from Inoke. She never read that one out loud. Most of the time it was him calling her an idiot and telling her that she needed to come home, but she couldn't. Not until she was fixed. The first part of the letter was telling her about how good the crop was that year and how he had to go through the military when he needed something from Oʻahu. They didn't used to have to go there, but after Pearl Harbor, most of the shops in Kauaʻi were forced to shut down. There was a line skip as Inoke changed topics. Her heart beat wildly as she read the second part of the letter. Inoke saw Analu with another woman. They were kissing. She had a ring on her finger. Inoke had asked around and found out that they really were engaged. Ipo hadn't been gone that long. The letter ended in an apology from her brother. Her hand tightened around the letter, making it crinkle.

Eugene looked up at the noise, seeing her tense expression, "Ipo?"

"Kala mai iaʻu." She muttered before standing with her letters and walking quickly out of the cafeteria. Her heart was beating so loudly in her head that she felt that that insane man in 'The Tell-Tale Heart'. She entered her tent and sat down on her cot, placing her head in her hands. Ipo should've know that it was going to happen. Of course he wasn't going to wait around. There were many gorgeous, normal women who had been pining after him for a long time. She left; told everyone she knew that she was going to travel the mainland and that she didn't know when she was going to be back, if ever. So, of course he moved on. But... it was just so fast. The tent door opened cautiously and footsteps entered.

"Go away, Eugene." She groaned.

The person paused before proceeding closer and sunk down on the bed next to her. Ipo lifted her head and looked at him, only to realize that it was Snafu. She let out an irritated breath and looked away from him. "You looked pretty upset." Ipo didn"t answer. Snafu spoke again, "Someone die?"

"ʻAʻole." Ipo paused, realizing that they haven't spoken enough for him to know what that meant, "No."

They were quiet for a few moments before Snafu asked, "What is it?"

Ipo sighed. If she was going to tell anybody, it sure as hell shouldn't be Snafu. But, she always did dumb shit when she was upset. About a minute dragged on before she said, "... This... girl that I was going to- or thought I was going to marry..." Ipo shook her head, "She's with someone else now. Which is why she never wrote me back, I guess." She mumbled the last part. She now knew how hard it must've been for Eugene to keep referring to her as a man.

Snafu grunted, but didn't offer any reassurance. Instead, he bumped her shoulder with his, "You gonna cry?"

"Fuck you, I don"t cry." Ipo shoved him. Although, she did want to cry. She always wanted to cry, but never could.

Snafu laughed and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, "Don't worry about women, Sweetheart. Il est sa perte." He spoke French a bit closer to her ear before putting a little distance between them without losing the connection of their skin, "As soon as we get out of here, all the ladies will be lining up to be jugglin' your balls on their chins."

Ipo tried not to cringe as she mumbled, "That's not what I want."

"What do you want?"

Ipo massaged the palm of her hand with her thumb, feeling the intense heat that radiated off of Snafu and warmed her bones. The words bubbled up from her gut and out of her throat, "... He wahine au."

Snafu blinked at her, "What the fuck does that mean?" Ipo just shrugged. Snafu squeezed her tighter into his side and bonked his forehead against her temple, staring at her like that. Ipo tensed involuntarily. Snafu spoke quietly, "Je continue à rêver de toi. Il me conduit fou."

Ipo moved her head away from Snafu's just enough so that she could look at him, "This reminds me of an English word."

It seemed like Snafu hadn't blinked since he began staring at her. He rested his forehead against hers, muttering, "What word?"

"... _Hypocrite_."

Ipo then shoved him off of her cot.

This was all too confusing. Snafu hit the floor and rolled onto his back, laughing. He closed his eyes, a smile on his face. He looked so happy and Ipo was scared that he knew she was a girl, or that he was on the verge of figuring it out. She grabbed her Edgar Allen Poe book and stood. On her way out of the tent she said, "And stop fucking touching me. It's disgusting."

The smile fell off of Snafu's face as he listened to the screen door slam closed. Ipo was right, it was disgusting. He just couldn't stop. Every time Snafu looked at him, his stomach started burning and he felt a lurch in his fingertips as they ached to touch Ipo in the littlest ways. The previous days when he ignored him made the burning grow into anger, but when he saw Ipo laughing, it just melted away along with the rest of him. Snafu felt sick from what he was feeling. He felt sick every morning when he woke up from the dreams. Snafu had never felt this way about another man before, as far as he knew.

He was losing his God damn mind.

~~ **A/N** ~~

Here's the Hawaiian and French translations in order of appearance:

 _Kulikuli_. - Shut up.

 _Vraiment?_ \- Really?

 _Pourquois dois- je aime ce_? - Why do I like this?

 _Wa_. - Period.

 _Wahine_ \- Woman

 _Ke ʻoluʻolu ʻoe_. - Please.

 _Kohe_ \- Pussy

 _Ola no laila aʻu i ke Akua_. - So help me God.

 _Pōpoki_. - Cat.

 _Pipi kauō_. - Ox.

 _ʻōkole_ \- Ass.

 _Ua ola aʻu kuʻu ipo_. - My boyfriend helped me.

 _ʻO ia kuʻu kaikaina a e poʻa au keikikāne kekahi i pā ʻili ʻo ia_. - She is my little sister and I will castrate any boy who touches her.

 _Ke hoʻopau nei iaʻu_. - I'm finished.

 _Il est sa perte._ \- It's her loss.

 _He wahine au_. - I'm a woman.

 _Je continue à rêver de toi. Il me conduit fou_. - I keep dreaming about you. It drives me crazy.


	3. Chapter 3

**~~ A/N ~~**

 **There will be rape in this chapter as well as gory depictions of violence. Like last time, all English translations will be at the end of the chapter.**

They had been there for a month before they were told that they had to ship off to another island to fight. After the incident in the tent, Snafu barely looked at her or spoke to her. He definitely didn't touch her. It was like he always made sure that there were at least two people in between them at all times. Ipo had been disappointed at first, but she didn't have much to be disappointed about. It was one moment of pleasantness and civility that meant absolutely nothing, so she got over it quickly. According to Ack-Ack, it was going to take them a couple of weeks to get to their first fight.

"Peleliu?" Ipo asked Eugene as they packed up their things.

"Yeah." He answered.

"Leakage of lava."

"What?"

"That's what Peleliu means in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi. Lava leak."

"Good." Snafu cut in, "Maybe we'll all die from a fuckin' volcano."

Everyone laughed but Ipo. If they died from an eruption on that island, then it would mean that Pele was mad at her and the thought of the Goddess that Ipo idolized being enraged at her made her uncomfortable.

On the ship, Ipo slept on the bunk above Eugene and took showers at night while everyone was asleep with her friend taking guard. She had a feeling that he wasn't actually guarding, however. He was probably sleeping on the job. He also cut her hair, stating that she was starting to look like a girl. Her hair was thick and rough and grew out much like Snafu's. Ipo was over their moment, but she found herself thinking about him a lot. As the days passed, however, Ipo and the rest of the marines thought about the bombs in the distance that were getting louder. They were going to help the Navy real quick and then they'd leave again to help someone else. They were nervous, that was for sure. No one would admit it, but fear was starting to swivel up their spines. To calm herself, she began reading Jane Eyre instead of the dread inducing poems and stories of Mr. Poe. Charlotte Brontë wasn't any easier to understand, though. She wasn't that far into the book when they were ordered to get ready.

They were there.

They were putting on their packs and helmets, the sounds of the bombs shaking their cores now, as Captain Haldane said, "Follow the man in front of you... And get off that beach. When you get to the tree line, be sure to clear your weapon of sand."

"Aye, sir." They chorused.

"Mortarmen, make sure you have four H.E. rounds set for fire. Good luck. God bless."

It felt like he just read them their last rites.

"You alright?" Eugene asked her in a shaky voice as he checked her pack.

Truthfully, she felt the same numbness seep into her skin that did at Pearl Harbor. That numbness relaxed her, "... Are you?" She asked. Eugene didn't answer.

"Second Squad, fourth boat!"

A red alarm bell began to rang, warning them that the door was about to open. Second squad scurried into the DD tanks. Captain Haldane shook Ipo's hand, pausing for a moment longer to say, "... You"ll do fine." Ipo thanked him, but on the inside she wondered if he meant that she was a natural born killer. The engines from the tanks expelled fumes that made her dizzy. Or, that's what she told herself. The man in front of her was Burgin, the man behind was Snafu. She didn't even think about it. All she could think about was how people shouldn't follow her. She wasn't meant to be a leader. The doors began opening and she heard a gagging behind her before something splattered against her pants. Ipo looked behind her. Snafu had thrown up. She looked him in the eye as he lit a cigarette, "Mahalo nui."

"Bless you." He replied like she had sneezed.

Ipo turned to face front again and watched as the light poured in like Eugene's God was welcoming him into Heaven when they all knew that it was the exact opposite. "Here we go, boys!" Hillbilly shouted as the DD tank began moving down the ramp. They all crouched and braced themselves against the sides, just like they were taught. The light from Heaven faded and Ipo was greeted with a scene from the worst day of her life. Except, this was the part she never saw. She never saw the ships being blown up or the body parts flying in the sky. Black smoke rose from the fuel like ash from a volcano. Back then, she saw darkness as she buried her head in the sand for the duration. She couldn"t bury her head here. Ipo's breath hitched for just a moment and she squeezed her eyes shut as planes flew above them. Ipo repeated to herself that it wasn't the birds because the birds weren't real. This was real. She forced her eyes back open and stared up at the planes to convince herself further. Eugene and Leyden had hopped up to peek over the sides like curious children when a bomb dropped down right next to them.

"Stay the fuck down!" Hillbilly yelled at them.

Ipo accidentally let out a small snort. Half of the men turned to look at her. She looked down at the metal bottom of the tank in embarrassment. This was war. War wasn't funny. Eugene started praying beside her and she couldn't help but think that he was killing the mood. People who thought they were going to die always ended up dead quicker than they should be. Eugene Sledge would not die, not if she could help it, but he was acting like he would. Another bomb dropped and they were soaked in the salty pacific. Ipo's ears began to develop that ringing and she started counting to ten silently to herself like Ack-Ack suggested.

ʻEkahi

ʻElua

ʻEkolu

ʻEhā

ʻElima. The men began firing the big guns attached to the tank. They were ordered to load their weapons. Ipo could barely hear him.

ʻEono

ʻEhiku

ʻEwalu

ʻEiwa

ʻUmi.

Somehow, she thought that she'd feel better by the end. The ringing was still there and she was still numb. She glanced over at Eugene, just to check if he was okay. He didn't look okay and he hardly looked like he wanted to be there. She had a suspicion that she looked the same. The DD tank was getting hit with bullets as they rolled onto the beach. Someone was yelling at them to get out of the tanks, but she didn't know who. Ipo climbed over the edge of one side while Eugene went over the other and they lost sight of each other. She landed hard on the sand of the beach, except it wasn't sand. It was bodies. Her vision tunnelled, the edges of the scene darkening for just a moment. Someone was shouting at her to move, to get off the beach, but it wasn't a beach. It was a bloody pā ilina. It was her dream. Very suddenly she became delusional. Ipo needed to get off of the beach before they started grabbing at her to hold her down. " _E ka make_ _ʻ_ _oe_." Echoed in her head. She started crawling fast, oblivious to the bullets that the men around her were taking. Oblivious to the fact that she hadn't went in the same direction as the rest of her company.

Eugene, however, noticed her absence. He was noticing everything. He was taking in so much of what was happening that his brain felt like it was bruising. He hesitated before climbing out of that hole, the urge to go find her freezing him momentarily, but he couldn't. This was war and she might've already been dead. As they were crouched on the little trail in the forest, Snafu whispered from behind him, "Where's Ipo?" Eugene didn"t answer. He didn't make any indication that he heard him. Snafu saw the lump that Eugene swallowed, though, and his heart sunk. Ipo was dead. A part of him felt a little relieved. There'd be no man around to confuse him or make him hate himself. But, a larger part of him was devastated and it overtook the relief. Now, what Snafu had was Eugene. Ipo would be pissed if anything happened to that Alabamian. Something in Snafu clicked and he knew that he had to make sure Eugene stayed alive. Eugene was a gateway. A gateway to what, he didn't know, but he needed to keep it open. The whole day, he tried to help Eugene, but he was so fucking stupid when it came to war. Snafu dug into that mouth of the dead Jap to get out his frustrations. He didn't care about no gold. He wanted Eugene to be shocked and he wanted Ipo to not be dead. Ack-Ack looked stunned when he was that the Hawaiian was missing because, just like the rest of them, he was certain that Ipo would take out this whole island if he had to.

Late that night, just after Snafu had told them to shut up, they all heard something that sent a rattle through them harder than any bomb could.

"Shark Bait."

Snafu's eyes snapped open and he shot straight up. Ipo slid down into their fox hole. She was covered in blood, but all of them were. She didn't look as worn out. Her eyes seemed brighter than before. Eugene couldn't even say her name. He tackled her against the dirt wall and hugged her so tightly that she couldn't breathe. "Get off." She struggled to say. It was absolutely wonderful to see him, though. She had wandered around for about thirty minutes, marines telling her to get the fuck down and her asking where K Company was. She had seen Captain Haldane already and he gave her a knowing smile. When Ipo spotted his big nose pointed at Oswalt, a weight had lifted off of her shoulders. She pushed Eugene off of her.

"Welcome back." Oswalt said with a weak smile.

"Where the fuck did you go?" Came a not-so-happy voice to the right of her. Ipo looked at Snafu and felt a strange sense of relief. He, however, was not Eugene, so she didn't show it. Snafu shoved her hard, but she caught herself, "I thought you fuckin' died." He was speaking through gritted teeth, trying not to yell.

"We." Eugene corrected, "We thought you died." He didn't look so happy any more, either.

"Ipo can't die." Oswalt informed them, "He's a ninja."

Ipo righted herself, her side pressed against Snafu's as some strange effort to calm him down, "I got lost."

"Lost?" All three of them asked at the same time.

"Yeah. I got mixed in with the First Marines. I met Bob Leckie. He's, uh... He's not doing too good."

"I can't believe you're fucking here right now." Snafu muttered to himself.

"I'm not going anywhere." Ipo said. Her voice was so serious and definitive that everyone in that hole believed her. She took off her backpack and laid it on the dirt before laying down herself and using it as a pillow.

"Nuh-uh, Sweetheart. You gotta keep watch." Snafu said, "I'm the one sleeping."

Her heart felt like it was trying to float out of her body. He wasn't mad at her any more. "I'm pretty sure that's not how this works."

"Both of you guys get some rest." Eugene said, "We're going to have a tough time tomorrow." Snafu laid down beside her. "And Ipo," She peeked her eye open to spy at her best friend. He smiled, "Try not to get lost again."

She rolled her eyes and turned onto her side so she faced the dirt wall, "I was looking for a volcano, but there aren't any. Fuckin' misleading."

They chuckled quietly and soon enough Ipo fell asleep from the stress of the day. She had met Bob Leckie as he watched his friend die. She'd never seen the life drain out of someone before that moment and it was anti-climatic. When she was smaller, she'd been told stories of souls floating out of the body and into the air when death happened. She didn't see a soul rise out of that man's body. Maybe it was because he didn't have one. Maybe it was because she didn't have one.

In the middle of the night, Eugene and Oswalt turned their attention to Ipo as she started making those noises that she made every night. Before Eugene could say anything, Snafu turned towards her in his sleep and draped his arm around her. Ipo immediately quieted. It shocked Eugene a bit. If Ipo had been a boy, would Snafu had reacted in the same way? If not, then did he know of Ipo's secret? He hadn't told anyone if he did. Eugene also felt protective. He didn't like Ipo, not like that, but she had grown on him like a sister and he didn't want a man like Snafu touching his sister. He couldn't do anything about it, though. Not without setting off alarm bells.

~Day Two~

The bomb in the distance is what woke them up. Snafu jerked awake and haphazardly covered Ipo, trying to see what the danger was. Ipo blinked up at him for a moment, wondering how, when, why, and where she was before it came slamming into her. Ipo sat up as well, ducking away from him. He barely glanced at her as she quickly located Eugene and crawled over to him before resting her back against the same dirt mound as him. Ipo was hyper aware of Snafu now, hearing him light a cigarette. Somehow, that was the best sleep she'd ever had, even on that shitty island. The heat hit her suddenly as her body became fully aware. It was like Pele was staring directly at them.

"Does he know?" Eugene muttered under his breath as he wrote in his bible.

Ipo was quiet for a moment before answering just as quietly, "... I don't know."

"You should stay away from him until you do."

"I'm trying. It was easier on Pavuvu."

Eugene let out a not-so-amused grunt, "I can't say you tried so much then, either."

"Fuck you, you don't know." Ipo really did try.

"The hell you doin'?" The topic of their discussion asked loudly over them, "Break this shit down. Get ready to move." Snafu wasn't happy that day. Either that, or he just heard everything that they said. They did what he ordered without a word. It felt too strange to talk, but Ipo wanted to hear something other than the planes and the bombs. She started to sing quietly under her breath, only Eugene hearing her.

"What is that?" He asked.

"Something I wrote." She muttered back.

"Oh. It's... Strange." At least he was honest. It was sang in English, but she wrote it down in Hawaiian. She wrote everything down in Hawaiian.

"I wrote it after I found out about Analu." She explained.

"Forget about him." He said. Ipo just snorted in response. How could she forget someone as important as him? Eugene must have not understood how deep in it Ipo had been for Analu. Right now, though, was not the time to be thinking of past loves. Or Snafu. She needed to think about the war and how it was so hot that she thought that maybe the entire island was actually the mouth of the volcano and the lava was just inches below their feet. She needed to think about how there was no food or water. She needed to think of how to keep herself, along with other people, alive.

Not Snafu, though. This was no time for Snafu.

Leyden ran over, "Hey, somebody found water. I swear to Christ, somebody found water."

Everyone hopped up and jogged after him. The thought of one drop of water holding paradise for their tired bodies was almost too much for the worn out marines. They passed around helmets and canteens. Ipo watched from her spot behind Snafu. She wanted everyone else to be taken care of first. Suddenly, a decapitated rotted goat's head was pulled out of their paradise and the hope died. It died even further when Captain Haldane told them that they had to move across the airfield. It'd be like a shooting range. The Japs would have complete advantage.

They were packing up when Eugene asked, "How many Japs do you think are out there?"

"Pau ʻole." Ipo immediately answered, "Never ending."

"That's fucking depressing." Leyden scolded her.

"How can they be never ending?" Snafu asked.

Ipo sighed, looking out toward the airfield where the Japanese seemed to randomly send bombs to scare them away, "I imagine that when they die, they just... Get back up again."

"Like zombies." Eugene said, looking at her like she was the dumbest thing to walk the earth.

"What, you don't have zombies on the mainland?" Ipo asked nonchalantly, placing her pack on her back. They stared at her. "... I'm kidding."

"Shit, Ipo," Oswalt shook his head, "You're gonna give me nightmares."

"It's payback for all the nightmares that your face causes me." They all chuckled dryly at her joke. The thought of an enemy who could never die was maybe a bit too terrifying in the middle of war.

"Anybody got any asswipe?" They were asked. Ipo had rags that she could offer, but her menstrual cycle was due any day now and she couldn't spare none.

"No asswipe, no chow, no water, so don't even think about it... A nice cool sip of water... A little splash on your head... Put it right out of your mind." Snafu spoke.

Oswalt fidgeted, "... I got a little water."

And just like that, hope was restored. Oswalt might as well have been the Second Coming. The canteen was passed around, each man relishing in the small gulp that they got. When it reached Ipo, she refused, "Save it."

Eugene shook his head, "You're gonna die of dehydration." Ipo just snorted in response.

"Just drink it, Sweetheart. I ain't draggin' your dizzy ass across that airfield." Snafu said.

Ipo was dizzy, but she'd been dizzy ever since Pearl Harbor. She took the canteen, muttering, "Stop calling me that." She took a tiny amount before handing it back to Oswalt. It only made her more thirsty. Burgin was so thankful that he promoted Oswalt, which Snafu complained about.

"Get off your ass!" Gunny said as he walked by, "Get under that gear! We're moving shortly."

"Nunui." Ipo muttered sarcastically to herself. The planes started flying again and her heart sped up. She refused to look at the sky again. She refused to get out of her head again. She needed to stay focused and stop running around like a fucking madman. Woman. Whatever. To her surprise, Eugene took the cigarette offered to him. That shit wasn't going to help anyone. What surprised her even more was that Snafu recognized that he was nervous and had tried to calm him down somehow. Snafu connected his eyes with hers and she looked away quickly. Do not think about Snafu. Think about survival.

"Thank God for the Navy." Burgin stated sarcastically. No one laughed.

Then, the call that they all dreaded sounded through their ears, "First and Second Platoon! Move out!"

Ipo was feeling that urge bubbling out of her throat and she couldn't stop herself from saying, "In case we die," Four people looked at her, but she only looked briefly at Snafu, "Nani kou waha."

He didn't look like he was in the mood, "Yeah... Right back at you." It was sarcasm.

Then, they had to go. As soon as they stepped foot on that airfield, bombs started dropping by their feet. Ipo ran fast for a second before remembering that there were no dead bodies grabbing at her and that she needed to stick next to Eugene. It was hard, lugging the heavy weapons while dancing around bullets. The Japs must have been laughing at them. She didn't understand the point of wearing the helmets if a bullet could rock right through it. Limbs were being blown off, men were being blinded. Ipo was convinced for a moment that this order was deliberately made to kill off all of the marines. The barely standing building was their shelter for half a second, but they all thought about just crouching there until the war was over. They jumped into a premade foxhole for a moment. If it weren't for the men screaming in pain and the artillery, Eugene and Snafu would've been able to hear her gulp. Ipo was losing her nerve at that moment. The numbness was fading and she was begging for it to come back. There was a sudden sniper and Snafu grabbed her, dragging her down so that she wouldn't get shot. Ipo could stay away from him, but then she would've been dead at that moment.

They all began running again. The Hills were the endgame. Maybe there would be a volcano there and she could dive into it. Ipo had to jump over the men that were falling dead at her feet. They ducked behind an upturned vehical and she felt the sudden urge to sob, but nothing came. It never came. Her ears began to ring again as Leyden helped a man. Her vision began to tunnel. No, not again. These were signs of a coward and she was not a coward. There were too many Japs in too many tunnels and the one in the tunnel across from them was aiming a machine gun at them.

"Let's go!" Ack-Ack yelled.

Her legs didn't move for a second, but they kicked into gear when Snafu nudged her. They were a couple yards away when a bomb went off next to them. Snafu fell into her, knocking them both down. "Ipo!" He yelled. He was whimpering. Her tunnel vision snapped away and she could hear everything. Eugene and Oswalt ran over to assist them. Ipo stood on her own and helped Snafu along with Eugene. As Oswalt looked back at them, he was shot in the head. It never really sunk in that people she knew- her friends- could die. Not before she did. Ipo regretted telling that mean joke about his mother that made him hate her for so long. She wished she could go back and be as nice as she possibly could. She knew he was dead, but she still helped Eugene and Snafu drag his body away into a ditch. There was an extreme explosion and she fell forward, covering her head with her hands. She felt herself yell, "Māmā!" Snafu looked at her for a moment before grabbing her shoulder and pulling her up from the ground. Eugene was checking Oswalt, but there was no hope. He was gone. Just like Jesus, he died for them.

Ipo fucking hated Christianity.

Eugene took the sight box and his person changed immediately to someone stronger. They all followed Eugene to the next foxhole where they began setting up the mortar. It was ironic, someone being as afraid of bombs as she was to be a Mortarman. At that moment, she'd have rather had been a rifleman, but she was shit at aiming. They fired nine or twelve times before Hillbilly ordered them to move out.

Finally. They were on the other side.

As everyone found spots to sit down at, Ipo immediately went behind one of the concrete pillars and vomited. She rested her forehead against the pillar, hoping that it was cool, but it wasn't. Everything was too hot. She stood there for a while with no one coming to check on her, which she was greatful for. She felt pathetic and disgusting. Snafu had heard her call out for her mother. Oswalt was dead. Where was that volcano? Eventually, she reappeared from behind the pillar, only to find Eugene sitting on the ground and leaning on the other side with Snafu sitting across from him. They both watched as she timidly made her way around. Snafu rose his eyebrows, "Alright?" She just gave him a thumbs up, her throat raw. Eugene looked like he wanted to ask, but he knew that no one was okay. A tank rolled itself by. They were lost.

"See, Eugene?" She said his name for the first time, her voice hoarse, "It's easy to get lost on this island." He gave a little smile, but it was forced. They all watched as Ack-Ack waltzed out in front of the tank, making it hault. A grin grew across Ipo's face as Hillbilly climbed on top of the tank and knocked on the hatch with his pistol. The hatch opened and they couldn't hear what Hillbilly said, but he sure as hell looked threatening. It worked and they were ordered to load the wounded. Ipo saw Leckie and hoped that she'd be able to give him his books back in the end.

Ipo sat down next to Eugene against the pillar. He was staring at her strangely. "What?"

"Why do you do that?" He asked.

Ipo glanced at Snafu, who had sat back down across from them and was listening. She thought that maybe he was talking about burying her head or being a shit marine, "... Do what?"

"Look like that."

Ipo's brows furrowed, "What?"

Eugene looked like he was uncomfortable talking about it, but he had to bring it up, "Yesterday when you got back from... wherever, you looked... happy. You look happy now."

Ipo _should've_ looked confused, because that's what she was, "I... I look happy?" She looked at Snafu for confirmation and he just shrugged. Ipo turned back to Eugene, "... That's fucked up."

"Guess you're fucked up, then." Snafu said. He offered her a cigarette, which she denied. "Why?" He asked, lighting one, "Even Sledge here has started smokin'."

"Aunty Iolana says it's bad for you."

"Oh, here we go." Eugene muttered.

Snafu glanced between them, "Who?"

Eugene swore and rolled his eyes as Ipo began to speak, "Aunty Iolana. She's a really, really old woman who lives in the forest on Kauaʻi."

"Go ahead, tell him how old." Eugene poked his elbow into her ribs.

Ipo elbowed him back, "Kulikuli!" Before she turned all of her attention to Snafu, speaking in the voice that she used when she was telling ʻAuliʻi a story, "No one knows how old she is. Some people say that Pele accidentally formed her with the islands. She poured a little bit of herself into Aunty Iolana, that's why she can never die." Eugene let out a laugh, earning a glare from Ipo, "Anyway," She said forcefully before turning back to Snafu. He looked somewhat interested, "She is covered in tattoos. She has one on her chin, but you can't see it any more because she's so wrinkly. You can only tell where her mouth is when she speaks and her eyes are like two black, um," She started snapping, trying to remember the word.

"Beads?" Eugene offered.

"ʻAe! Beads! She has stories dating back to when the last island formed, I swear. She says that she has met every single God and Goddess except for Keawe-"

"The God who created the universe." Eugene cut in to elaborate. He had heard this story before.

"And, most importantly, she says that my family came directly from Pele herself."

"Which explains your temper." Eugene cut in again.

"I'm sorry, Shark Bait, did you want to tell the story?" Eugene raised his hands in surrender. Ipo looked at Snafu again, who's eyebrows were raised and his chin was resting on his closed fist, "So, Aunty Iolana knows all sorts of things. She says that she was taught how to build things over night by the Menehune because she's the only human they trust-"

"And what are the mini honeys?" Snafu asked.

"Menehune," Ipo stressed the word, "Are little dwarves that live in the forest. They were created after Aunty Iolana."

"This is crazy." Snafu said, "You are crazy."

Her mood fell and she crossed her arms over her chest, "Anyway, she says tobacco is bad."

Snafu threw back his head and let out a bark of laughter, startling Ipo and Eugene. He looked at her with a grin, "All that's bullshit."

"I swear, it's all true. Aunty Iolana built an entire windmill in her front yard over night. There's no way she could've done that if she was normal."

"I'm with Snafu." Eugene said.

"Fine. But, don't come crying to me when you end up cursed."

"Open your eyes, Sweetheart." Snafu motioned to the air, "We're already cursed."

Later that night, Ipo had to keep watch with Snafu. It wasn't like the other marines were sleeping, so it didn't really matter who was keeping watch. Eugene gave her a look before she went up on the dilapidated second floor with Snafu. It was obvious that he wanted her to stay down there with him, but the rules were the rules. She had a plan, though, and she was hoping that it would work. She felt bad last time, calling him disgusting.

"People where I'm from do curses, too." Snafu told her as the walked back and forth on the blown concrete, "There's Voodoo Queens and Hoodoo shops on every corner in New Orleans."

"Is that like magic?"

"No, it's like bullshit. Ain't no way stickin' a bit of periwinkle in my wallet is goin' to get me any money."

"Have you tried it?"

"No, because it's bullshit."

It came to their attention that one of the marines, Daniels, had been counting for a while. Snafu sat down on the edge of the floor, his legs dangling over the side, using the pieces of rebar as a footrest. Ipo sat down next to him, not knowing what else to do. "I can't even count that high in English." She muttered to herself.

"What are you doing, Daniels?" Burgin asked.

Daniels turned to him, his eyes gone and expression terrified, "Counting Japs." He then turned back around and started counting again. Gunny tried to get him to move to Second Platoon LP, but he was too gone. Daniels was gone. Haldane was a compassionate man. A man like him shouldn't be in war. He should be a teacher, a doctor, or a politician. He was too good for war.

"Just as easily been me countin' Japs I can't see." Eugene stated.

"But it's not you." Was the reply he got.

"Sir, coming across that airfield today... I've never been more scared in my entire life." Eugene admitted. Ipo looked down at her knees. She had been scared, too. More scared than at Pearl Harbor because she didn't really know what was going on then. Today, though... Today she knew that she was probably going to die.

"We're all afraid." Haldane said, "All of us. A man who isn't scared out here is either a liar or dead."

Ipo was both.

Haldane believed that everything would be worth it in the end. Ipo felt like crying again. Did every other man there feel that way as well? Or was it because she was not a man at all? Ipo remembered reading Macbeth in high school. " _Unsex me here_." Lady Macbeth had said. Just so she could do the evil deed.

"You alright?" Snafu asked so quietly that she could barely hear him.

"I'm not a coward." She immediately answered back as if Snafu was accusing her.

He looked at her, "That's for damn sure."

There was something about his eyes that made her feel like he saw everything. He could stare right into whatever part of her soul was still inside her. Ipo looked out at the burning vehicle in the airfield, deciding that she had to do it then, no matter how bad her heart was trying to leap into his chest, "... I'm not blind."

"... Okay." He said. He didn't understand what she meant.

"You don't treat me like the other men. You don't touch them like me. You don't speak French to them. You stare a lot. I mean, you stare at Eugene, too, but that's a recent development." Snafu stiffened beside her. Either he didn't think she noticed, or thought that she'd never address it so bluntly. Ipo continued, "... You need to stop... Because he's noticed and if he has, then others might, too." Snafu looked down at Eugene, recognizing the he is the "he".

"... Is that the only reason?" Snafu asked. His voice sounded a little breathy.

"No." Ipo answered truthfully. It must've not been the answer that Snafu wanted as he deflated, gaze dropping to his dangling feet.

"What'd you say to me? Before we crossed the airfield. When you thought we were gonna die."

Ipo was quiet for a while, watching Eugene and Burgin lay down to sleep before answering, "I said you smell like pig shit."

"Fuck you." Snafu said, but there was a semblance of a smile on his lips.

Ipo pulled her feet up and stood, wanting to separate from him. But, that feeling bubbled in her again and she couched back down next him, whispering quietly in his ear, "I said your mouth is pretty." She quickly stood and walked away, not looking at his reaction. Her heart beat so loud that she felt like she needed to find some floorboards to rip up.

Ipo didn't know this, but Snafu felt the same.

The next morning felt surreal. Oswalt was still gone and Eugene was still changed. So were her and Snafu. They hadn't spoken to each other. He hadn't even looked at her. But, he was still always right there. Snafu wasn't actively reaching out and touching her, but he found little ways to bump into her or accidentally touch her somehow.

"What's going on there?" Eugene asked her quietly when they were alone getting their canteens filled.

"Told him to fuck off." Ipo said, drinking the water. Paradise.

"And he didn't ask why?"

Ipo shook her head in response before saying, "I need to shove a rag in."

Eugene choked on his water. Ipo grinned at him before noticing someone looking at them. It was Snafu. He looked away as soon as her eyes slid over, though. "Again?" Eugene coughed.

"Once a month, Shark Bait. Your dad's a doctor, shouldn't you know this? Besides, it hasn't started, yet. It's just in case."

"Where? Where could you possibly go do that?" Eugene gestured to the vast emptiness around them. He was right. The first day they were there, Ipo had gone into the forest to do her business. Last night, she went out a little ways and did it behind a vehicle. However, this was broad daylight.

"Maybe it can wait a day." Ipo said.

They all packed up and were ordered into the hills. None of them knew what to expect. At least they got to eat some pork chops. Snafu seemed really excited about them. They all were. Ipo still felt like throwing up after eating one, however. They began their march. Ipo had gotten kind of used to the planes flying overhead. She still felt a small wave of terror, but at least it didn't overcome her entire body. She was walking to the side of Eugene when Snafu came up on the other side of her friend, "Saw you reading last night." Immediately, Ipo thought that maybe he was done with her and would move on to Eugene next. Maybe it was because they looked like the two weakest links. Maybe Snafu really enjoyed men and didn't care which one.

"My bible." Eugene said. He didn't seem to be thinking the same thoughts as Ipo.

"Writin', too." Snafu said, "Ain't supposed to write shit down, you know. Gives Japs valuable intel if they find it."

"Guess I won't show it to 'em, then." Eugene answered. Ipo snorted quietly, smiling. Snafu glanced over, whether it was at her or Eugene, she didn't know, and smiled as well.

"Got a smoke?" Snafu asked. Eugene pulled out two and handed Snafu one. The Louisiana boy smirked, "Thanks, Sledgehammer."

"Sledgehammer." Burgin said, "I like that."

"Jesus Christ!" Leyden said from behind them.

"Don't worry," Snafu teased, "We got a nickname for you too, Bill Leyden. We call you Ballpeen Hammer. Like a little hammer. For a little man." The men chuckled.

"Alright, Snafu." Leyden retorted, "Shit 'n ass... fuck up."

"Little joke from the little man."

"What's a hammer?" Ipo whispered to Eugene. Burgin heard, however.

"How do you not know what a hammer is?" He asked.

Eugene tried to explain, "It's a tool used to pound nails into wood."

"Oh, a hāmale." She said more to herself.

"No," Burgin said, "A hammer. We speak English here."

Ipo looked right at him and said, "Lōlō ʻōlelo kēlā a ke ʻōkole ʻoe."

He adopted a small smile, "Are you talkin' shit?"

"All day, everyday." She grinned.

They were quiet after that. She felt a hole being burned into the back of her head as they marched along and knew that it was Snafu. Everyone else had lost their tendency to stare at her, having finally getting used to her. They got into the hills and sat down to take a break. They ate and drank and Ipo spied the forest next to them. It wasn't dense enough and they'd definitely see her squatting and shoving stuff up her vagina. There was this gloom that fell over everyone and they all just embraced it. Ipo didn't, however. She was familiar with the gloom and the reason she was there was to get rid of it. There were some parents in the world whose children are terrified of water and to fix that, they throw them right in and tell them to swim or die. Ipo would swim or she would die.

Leyden and Eugene were told to go set a perimeter with a lot of other men and she was left alone with Snafu. As soon as Eugene was out of eye sight, Snafu slid down from the rock above her and sat next to her, making sure his side was touching hers. Ipo kept her eyes away from him and muttered warningly, "Snafu..."

"What did he say about it? You said he noticed and it looks like he told you."

Ipo turned her head towards him, but looked at the men behind him, "This isn't private."

Snafu looked around, "They're not paying attention."

Suddenly, there were gunshots. It wasn't unusual on the island, but they came from where Eugene went. Ipo immediately stood up and stared in that direction. Heavy gunshots and mortars, but not theirs. Ipo grabbed her gun and went to go up there, but Snafu grabbed her shoulder, giving her a look that made her stay rooted to the spot. A moment later, they came back. Ipo's shoulders relaxed when Eugene appeared unharmed. Snafu squeezed her shoulder before letting go. Eugene crouched down by Snafu, Burgin, and her. "I was about to go save your ass." Ipo breathed out.

"Save your own." He replied.

Ack-Ack got onto the radio, "We can't take this objective without unacceptable casualties. Do you copy?" He silently cursed and tossed the phone aside when there was no reply. He looked lost for a moment, not knowing if they continue and die or fall back. He decided on going back and getting the orders changed, promising the company to Hillbilly if he didn't make it back. Hearing that was like hearing their own father say that he had cancer. After a while, they all relaxed. No one was getting hit, Captain Haldane was still gone. It was quiet and Ipo's ears were starting to ring, so she did the only thing she knew to get it away. She sang. It was quiet, but still audible by the four men around her:

"Aloha kakou, e na kamaʻaina

Na hoaaloha, mai Hawaiʻi mai

Eia no makou, na hoʻokipa

Kono iā ʻoukou, pili mai, pili mai

E-" She sang that part dramatically, noting that her three friends were listening, "Pili mai kakou-"

"Peel your what?" Snafu asked loudly, eliciting laughs.

Ipo continued with a smile on her face, "E pili mai kakou

Noho pu kakou

Me ka lealea

Hoʻokani mele e

Ka nani o na oli e

Aloha kakou, e na kamaʻaina

Na hoaaloha, mai Hawaiʻi mai

Eia no makou, na hoʻokipa

Kono iā ʻoukou, pili mai, pili mai," Ipo held out the last note before letting out the signature hum that ended the song.

The men around her sarcastically clapped, Leyden saying, "Beautiful."

"I take it that that's not one you wrote." Eugene said.

Ipo smiled sarcastically at him, "No, it's not."

"Sing something you wrote." Snafu demanded.

"No." Both her and Eugene said at the same time.

"Why not?" Burgin asked, glancing between them.

"I've heard them and, trust me, you don't want to." Eugene said. He had only heard one. Ipo knew he said it because the one she had sang before was from a girl's perspective, but it still kind of hurt her feelings.

"But, he sounds great." Snafu said.

"Like a fuckin' angel." Leyden agreed, fluttering his eyelashes like a dick.

"It's not the way he sounds, it's just... terrible writing." Eugene looked at her, "No offense."

"Fuck you." She shoved Eugene a bit, "Many offense." Their friends chuckled at them.

They were quiet for a bit before Eugene asked, "Do you think he'll come back?"

"You disobey orders, you'll get court-martialled." Snafu informed.

Gunny walked up to them and crouched by Ipo, "You guys check your weapons. Keep a round chambered."

"Done." Snafu said. Ipo had to check her's. She hadn't shot it once since being on Peleliu.

Gunny looked spitefully at the sniffer dog, "Can you believe this bullshit about the dog? Some dog's supposed to smell a Jap before me? I don't think so. Appreciate the thought, but ain't no dog gonna make me sleep safe at night."

"Maybe he's here for moral support." Ipo offered.

"Fuck your moral support." Gunny said.

"I've got a dog." Eugene said in a weak voice. Everyone looked at him. "His name's Deacon."

"You keep fuckin' that stovepipe." Gunny said, "The Nips come pouring through here with fixed bayonets, you nail 'em with the H.E. and flares as fast as you can, you think you can do that?"

Snafu answered, "We got it, Gunny."

"I was askin' Sledgehammer." Gunny's tone was that of warning.

Eugene perked at attention and nodded, "Yes, Gunny Haney."

Gunny stood up for a second before crouching back down, "Woof." Before standing again and walking away.

Snafu began laughing a real laugh that made Ipo's heart try to leap out again, "What the fuck was that?"

"Hey, stovetop boys." Leyden made fun of him, "Woof." Everyone laughed again. Ipo was grinning, but she was staring at Snafu and she couldn't look away. They were all laughing in happiness, but none of them were really happy. There was still that gloom that was trying to settle into their bones. But, at that moment, everything was good. Ipo's smiled faded when he looked at her back and she looked down at the dirt between her feet.

Think of war. Not Snafu.

During the night, Snafu had crawled over to where Ipo was sleeping. She was making those little noises again and she needed to be quiet. He glanced at Eugene, who was watching him, and muttered, "Just to shut him up." Snafu laid down beside Ipo and wrapped his arm loosely around her waist. She grew silent and Snafu closed his eyes, falling asleep. Eugene didn't know what to do about it. Ipo said she would handle it, but it didn't look like it worked very well. He had noticed their radio silence towards each other until it grew dark. He wanted to know what was happening or if he could help somehow. What could he do, though? Beat him up? Accuse him of being a queer? Or, if Snafu knew Ipo's secret, would Eugene tell Haldane that she was a woman to keep her safe from Snafu's hands? Would she even be able to get off of the island? Eugene pondered this for a couple of hours before a noise was heard. At first, he though it was Ipo, but her whimpers were more quiet. Eugene looked at the source. It was a marine who looked like he was having a nightmare.

"What's that?" Snafu asked, alertness in his voice. His arm was still around Ipo, who was still sleeping through the noise. It was strange how deep she could sleep in the middle of a war.

"Sounds like some guy having a nightmare." Eugene whispered back. More marines started to wake up from the noise. Snafu quickly brought his arm to his side. That was what woke Ipo.

Her head jerked up, her eyes not fully opened as she slurred, "Ke hele nei i aha?"

"He better shut up before every Nip on the island knows we're here." Snafu said.

"Quiet that man down." They were ordered.

The sleeping marine was grabbed and he started screaming. Ipo was fully awake then, staring at the scene with wide eyes. Burgin jogged over to them, ordering them to stick him with morphine. Men were grabbing their guns just in case their enemies came rushing through the hills. He became violent, awake but not awake, just like Ipo on the beach. They heard a flare. They were heard and were being searched for.

"That guy's going to get us all killed if he don't shut up." Snafu said through gritted teeth. Ipo instinctively shushed him and he side-eyed her momentarily before looking back at the man.

Then, they preceeded to hit him in the head with a shovel. The crack of the skull could be heard by everyone. Hillbilly ordered everyone back to their holes. Ipo clutched her gun tightly. That man was her future.

She didn't sleep for the rest of the night. Not many of them did.

~Day Three~

In the morning his body was covered by his poncho. Ipo couldn't even look in his- its- direction.

"Guess it's better him than all of us." Eugene said.

"Sledgehammer's right." Snafu agreed, "Had to be done."

They were trying to feel better about the terrible thing that was done, but in Ipo's mind it translated to uncaring. They would do it to her. She looked up at them and spoke viciously, "Fuck you." Before walking off. She was trying to get away from that type of thinking and she realized that, as she was trying to escape from it, they were being ushered into it. Ipo sat down in her foxhole and took out her little journal from her pants pocket, writing down what was playing in her head. It was like a small rant that poured itself into a song. She only wrote the first verse before someone sat down next to her, not taking the hint to leave her alone.

"... I know what you're thinking." Eugene said. Ipo didn't answer as she put the journal back into her pocket. "You're thinkin' that that could've been you." Ipo paused her movements. Eugene continued, "That's not going to be you. We wouldn't do that to you."

"Why?" She snapped, "Because you can place a name to my face?" Ipo looked directly at Eugene, "Just because you couldn't with him doesn't mean he wasn't human. Now fuck off."

Eugene was quiet for a moment. There was a truth in her words that rocked his core. He blinked before saying, "Ack-Ack is back." He stood up and left. Ipo had to follow. Haldane being back was like hearing there was water. Full of hope. They got the orders changed and had to put on their ponchos from the rain. Ipo wondered how they were going to cover her body with it if she was wearing it. Haldane told Hillbilly that he did the right thing, but she had a sneaking suspicion that that was not what he would have done. They were ordered to move out and no matter how mad she was at Eugene, he was the only friend she had besides Leyden and Leyden wasn't that much of a friend. She fell in step besides Eugene and didn't look back at him when he smiled at her. Dick.

A couple of weeks passed. She had snuck away at night to put in the rag and a day later she started her period. Ipo bacame silent and everyone just thought that it was because of the war. Eugene thought that she was still mad at him until he caught her sneaking back into the foxhole without saying the password. The first couple of nights after the death of the nightmare man, she refused to sleep. She stayed up and finished that song she was working on. Eugene was becoming angry at that fact and snapped quietly at her, "Maybe if Snafu cuddled up next to him, he wouldn't be dead."

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" Ipo had asked him.

Eugene looked away from the spot in the distance he was scouting and stared at her. She looked confused. "... You don't know?"

"Know what?"

Eugene blinked, "He spoons you in your sleep."

Ipo looked over to Snafu, who was sleeping at the other side of the foxhole, "You're lying."

"No, I swear to God. Wraps his arms around you and everything. Says it's to shut you up." Eugene glanced back at Snafu before staring back at the spot he was supposed to.

"That's..." Ipo trailed off.

"Creepy?" Eugene finished for her.

It was a little creepy. However... She wasn't mad about it. She was opposed to it, but would like to be in a setting where she didn't have to be, "... Yeah." Ipo answered. Snafu then moved, turning so his back was facing them. She was sure he heard them.

He definitely had heard them.

The days were spent with relentless fighting and the nights were filled with Snafu avoiding her like the plague. That's what she wanted, though. If it weren't for the conditions, Eugene would've been ecstatic. Her pale, red-headed friend went back to knocking her awake when they even had time to sleep. There were too many caves with too many enemies. She couldn't walk ten feet without seeing a bloody corpse or a man screaming with his intestines laying around him. Eugene was changing for the worst. It's a sad thing to see a good man turn bad. Every time she saw men use a flamethrower to burn Japs alive, she wondered if Pele would be angry for using fire in such a disgusting way, or would she proud that they used it to fight for what they believed in. That was the problem with the Goddess. Changeable temperament.

On September Twentieth, Ipo killed her first man. She was helping with the mortar and it seemed like she was the only one who noticed him. A shock when through her when she picked up her rifle and shot, hitting him in the gut. He fell with a yell and a thud. Blood spurted out of his mouth like a fountain and his body shook so hard that she was certain that it was going cause an earthquake. Suddenly, too suddenly, it stopped. He was dead. Eugene and Snafu stared at her, but she didn't react. She just loaded the mortar. Ipo didn't really feel much about it. They were all there for the same reason; Japs and Americans alike. To help their country. To save their people. Both sides knew that the chances of death were great and that they were, for most of the time, going to be the cause.

They finally went back to the base camp on the airfield. Everyone was changed. Everyone except Ipo. She still had that light in her eyes that everyone else saw but her. Ipo did not conciously feel happy. But, if she was happy, it meant that it was working. After her mother died, she looked like death on the outside. For the two years that she stayed in Hawaiʻi after Pearl Harbor, her face had never cracked a smile. The only time it did was when ʻAuliʻi told her that she wished girls could fight so that Ipo could feel better. That little girl realized too much for her age. So, if Ipo died, it would be all ʻAuliʻi"s fault because this whole thing was her idea. She didn't know that Ipo was actually out fighting, but still.

As they were walking, Hillbilly lit Eugene's cigarette, "Thought you didn't smoke?"

"Guess I do now." Eugene answered.

"Aunty Iolana-" Ipo said from behind Eugene.

"Fuck your Aunty." Eugene replied.

Ipo shook her head with a smile, "You just wait, Shark Bait. I'm going to tell her you said that and one day you're going to wake up with a pillowcase full of cockroaches the size of a dinner plate."

"I'll believe it when I see it." Eugene muttered. Her positive attitude didn't go far these days.

Captain Haldane said that they didn't have to leave until almost noon. It elated Snafu, the boy giving out a smile that hadn't been on his face in a while. Every marine ran over to get food and Ipo hung back. Just like it was with the water, she wanted everyone else to be nourished and strong first. They all sat down on the ground. They stuck together because, even if some of them never spoke to each other, K Company was a family. A man came over and started asking for Japanese weapons and flags. Ipo couldn't help but stare at him. He was so clean and they were covered in dirt, blood, and mud. Leyden told him to look up his ass for some, causing laughter.

"I can't go home from the war empty handed." He said.

"Ain't nobody goin' home." Snafu said.

"I'll tell you who's going home." Ipo spoke towards Snafu for the first time in weeks. It was indirect and more towards everyone, but it was still a reply. The man stared at her with that expression everyone had when they first heard her, "Eugene Sledge."

"You're gonna jinx me." Eugene muttered.

"He's going to go home," She ignored him, "Become a doctor like his makuakāne-"

"The word is 'father'." Burgin corrected her.

"Get married and have lots of kids." Ipo finished, "I'll make damn sure of it."

"Don't you want that?" Eugene asked.

"I already have a kid."

"What?" Came out of several mouths around her.

"Her name is ʻAuliʻi Kaheikekonikoni and she is five years old."

"I thought that was your sister?" Leyden asked.

Ipo shook her head, biting into her food, "She was my sister. Now, she's my kid."

"What if you don't go home?" Snafu asked, his voice a little quieter than normal, "Then who has her?"

"My brother. Poor boy's only ʻumikumāono, or, uh... Sixteen." She had to think for a moment to remember to English equivalent.

Eugene turned towards her, "You left your sixteen year old brother to look after a child?"

"Shit, sixteen," De 'Leau said, "Why isn't he in the war?"

"Because I was going and someone needed to look after ʻAuliʻi and the farm."

"Didn't you say you had a twin sister?" Leyden asked.

Ipo turned to him, "Is this a fucking interrogation?"

Snafu kicked her back, "You have a twin sister?" The men started whistling.

"Yeah, he does." Eugene said. He jerked towards her and stuck his hand in her pocket, yanking out her journal, opening it up while Ipo reached for it, "Wanna see a picture?"

"Hell yeah!" Was the response. Ipo stood and snatched her journal away, but the picture was handed to Burgin. He whistled, "Damn." The picture was of Ipo and Analu. It was taken from the waist up and only the very top of her grass skirt was shown. She wasn't wearing anything on her upper body except for a lei that hung down and covered her nipples. Her hair was long, reaching her mid-back and a haku was situated on her head. She was turned towards Analu, looking up at him with a bright smile on her face. Analu was shirtless as well, a large tattoo gracing his right peck. He was extremely fit. His hair was long as well, but was held back in a bun at the base of his neck. Facial hair shrouded his smile as he looked down into Ipo's eyes.

Leyden snatched the photo up, "Do you mind if I borrow this tonight?"

Snafu grabbed it next, looking at it, "She looks just like you."

"Ah, man, why'd you have to ruin it?" Leyden asked.

"Who's this guy?" Snafu asked.

Ipo ripped it out of his hands, "Some guy she was fucking that week."

"She sounds like a good time." De 'Leau commented.

Ipo stuffed it back into her journal and sat back down. Eugene smiled, "It was just a joke."

"Funny." She said sarcastically.

Captain Haldane came over at that time, "Hey, boys." They all greeted him. "Never run when you can walk." He began taking off his gear, "Never walk when you can stand. Never stand when you can sit. Never sit when you can lay down. Never lay down when you can sleep. And never pass a supply of clean water."

"Amen." Eugene said. In Ipo's opinion, she'd much rather walk than stand still. They began a friendly conversation. It was interesting to learn a little bit more about who was giving them orders.

As they were talking, Snafu muttered quietly next to her so that no one else could hear, "You think I'm creepy?"

Oh, Shit. "What else could I say?" Ipo answered, finishing her food. Just then, a mortar round was shot close to them and they all flinched. Ipo instinctively put her hand on the back of Snafu's head and pushed it down a little ways, stopping herself from flinging him to the ground. Very quickly, she snatched her arm away from and busied herself with the Jane Eyre book before Snafu could say anything about what she just did. It was the first time she picked it up in a while.

Snafu stared at her for a long moment before saying, "You like me."

"No." She immediately said.

"Do too. You just tried to save me." He was getting that cockiness in his voice.

"Leave me alone." Focusing on who set Mr. Rochester's room on fire was an impossible task.

Snafu leaned forward and acted like he was very interested in the book in her lap. His cheekbone was resting in the palm of his hand as he whispered, "You think my mouth is pretty."

Her lack of self-restraint and word vomit had bit her in the ass. Her cheeks lit up and Snafu was the only one who noticed. Ipo slammed the book shut and stood, walking away. She was stopped by Ack-Ack, however, "Where you going, Marine? We're heading out soon."

"To the head, sir." Ipo answered.

"You alright?" Haldane unexpectedly asked. Nice man.

"Yes, sir."

Haldane nodded, "As you were."

"Thank you, sir." Ipo walked off.

There were men everywhere and Ipo really did need to go to the bathroom whenever she could get the chance. She just needed to find where. She went to the blown building to the far side of the airfield and looked around. There was no one around, but it was a busy morning and someone could walk by any moment, so she didn't waste time pulling down her pants and squatting, urinating on the rocks. In bootcamp, when they actually had toilets, she had temporarily tried to learn to pee while standing, but it always ended in a disgusting mess. Ipo yanked up her pants and buckling her belt back up. No one had came along.

Ipo barely placed half of her right foot around the corner of the building when she ran into a chest before she was pushed back to her place behind the building. She was shoved against the concrete wall, Snafu holding her there with his own body. He bent his head down and placed his lips against her ear. Her heart beat hard against her chest and she knew that Snafu felt it because she could feel his. His hand gripped her hip and he breathed into her ear, "I ain't a queer."

Ipo swallowed, "... Me neither."

He seemed relieved some how as he let out a breath of air, making the hair on her arms raise. Her eyes started to tunnel again and it wasn't from gunfire. Snafu whispered, "Then what's going on?"

What was going on was that he could somehow sense that she was freaking the fuck out. What was going on was that Ipo was boy crazy and Snafu was casting some sort of spell on her. Instead, she answered, "War time." Her voice cracked.

"Je veux t'embrasser." He dragged his nose down her jaw line. He pulled away just centimeters and hovered there. His eyes were lidded as he stared down at her parted lips. Time seemed to move in slow motion when in reality it all happened very quickly. He leaned in. He was going to kiss her. Her heart moved into her head and it pounded harder. She wanted to. Oh, did she want to. Ipo placed her hands on his stomach and pushed him away hard. and he stumbled back away from her.

"Not. Queer." She said through gritted teeth before leaving him and walking quickly back to the company. There was that crying feeling again. Ipo had to shake her head a little for her vision to go back to what it was. They were going to get court-martialled because Snafu couldn't control himself. He was going to find out her secret if he didn't control himself. He wouldn't be able to control himself because Ipo couldn't keep her mouth shut and her hormones in check.

When Ipo sat down next to Eugene, who was still timing the napping Haldane, and rested her forehead in her hands. "What happened?" He asked. It didn't go unnoticed by him that Snafu followed her.

"Nothing." She grumbled.

"You sure?"

"Yes."

That was the end of that conversation. A few minutes later, Snafu returned. He didn't look mad, but he didn't look happy, either. She didn't look at him as he sat in his previous spot. He was looking at her, though. Long glances that he should've really kept to himself. Then, it was time. Eugene woke Ack-Ack up and they were off again. Each time they had to go, they were all filled with intense dread and nervousness. It was just how it went. Planes flew over head and dropped bombs on the hills. It was doing something to her mind that was unhealthy. It was making her illness act up again. That's what it was- an illness. And the people around her have caught it. They were going into the hills and the First Marines were coming out. That's when she had a panic rip through her.

"Ipo?"

She turned to look at whoever spoke to her and stopped walking. Her eyes widened. It was Kenji Yoshiura. His family had recently moved to Hawaiʻi from California and owned a grocery store on Kauaʻi that they went to all the time. It had been shut down and vandalized and the family was taken to Manzanar. Kenji was supposed to be in Manzanar, but he was here. Wearing a Marine's uniform. He hadn't been on Pavuvu as far as she knew and if he was, he just now noticed who she was. Kenji's jaw was dropped as he stared at her. She didn't notice, but Eugene and Snafu stopped as well to watch the exchange. "What are you doing here?" Ipo's voice sounded small.

"Me?" He was shocked to hear her ask that, "What are you doing here?"

Before any questions were answered, Kenji was shoved hard by a fellow Marine and fell to the ground. "Move, Jap." Was hissed at him.

"Hey!" Ipo barked in that voice that made everyone still. She stepped up to that marine, "He is a U.S. fucking citizen and you will treat him like one." She held venom in her tone.

"I'll treat a Nip like a Nip." Was hissed back at her.

"Count to ten, Ipo!" Was called to her. Captain Haldane had been told of the altercation, "Save that knife for the enemy." She didn't realize that she had her knife gripped tight in her hand. The marine who was being a bitch looked down at it and his face fell. He slowly walked away. A hand was held out for Kenji to take, but it wasn't Ipo's. It was Snafu's. He helped her friend up and gave him a nod before moving on toward the hills.

"See you back on the Island." Kenji told her. They nodded at one another, coming to a silent understanding that Kenji was going to keep her seceret before they parted ways.

"Who was that?" Eugene asked.

"My friend Kenji. His family owns the best store on Kauaʻi."

"It's strange to see one fighting on our side." He told her truthfully.

"He's not supposed to be here." She said, "He was taken to a camp. I didn't know they could fight in the war if they were taken away."

Snafu turned. She didn't even realize that he was in front of them, "If he's a citizen, why'd he get taken away?"

Ipo looked at him seriously, "... Paranoia."

They continued on, Eugene stopping to ask a man on a stretcher who Ipo had never met how he was doing. There was no answer. That was going to be them. No one spoke the rest of the way to their first stopping point. They dug their foxholes and sat in them, Ipo obviously being with Eugene. However, Snafu stuffed himself in the tiny hole with them. Right up against Ipo, to be exact. She pulled out her journal and began adding to a song that she had started way back during bootcamp. She always wrote them in Hawaiian, but they were sang in English. She felt like what she wrote was never good enough to be sang in Hawaiian.

"What are you writing?" Snafu was looking hard at her scribbling hand. If he was talking to her, then he wasn't mad at her.

"Songs, probably." Eugene answered instead of her. He was monitoring them closely. He must've thought that if anything would happen that Ipo would actually need his help to get Snafu away from her.

"Sing one." Snafu demanded.

"It's quiet time, Snafu." She muttered.

"He's right." Eugene said. Snafu had a habit of listening to Eugene. Maybe he should be the one to tell Snafu to fuck off. Eugene began cleaning his rifle. He was the one on lookout later. Snafu raised his hand and took her pencil and journal away from her. She opened her mouth to protest, but he place his finger over his lips, shushing her. Ipo didn't know why, but she did quiet down. Very quickly, he handed it back. On a blank page, he had written in sloppy handwriting, " _Why'd you stop me_?"

Ipo pinched the bridge of her nose. He wanted to talk about it. The first man in fucking history that wanted to talk about shit. Ipo paused a long moment before writing back, " _It's wrong_."

He didn't take the entire journal this time. He just took the pencil from her hand and wrote in the journal as it was propped against her knees, " _We could die_."

She took the pencil back, " _We could live_."

He waited a bit before answering, " _I need to_."

Ipo stared at those words. He needed to? She wanted it to mean something romantic, but she knew that Snafu had been in the Marines for a long time and needed to have release. She wrote back, " _Pick someone else_."

He, however, wasted no time in ripping the pencil away from her, " _I don't want anyone else. Never have_."

Ipo couldn't let it get to her head, " _I don't want you_."

She felt him stare at the side of her face. She kept her expression neutral. Snafu wrote, " _Stop lying_."

Ipo wrote in big letters and scribbled a harsh underline, " _PICK SOMEONE ELSE_." Snafu physically groaned and threw his head back in irritation.

"What's going on over there?" Eugene asked.

Snafu looked at Eugene, his eyes lidded since he didn't bother put his head back down, "Playin' tic-tac-toe. I keep losing."

Eugene's eyes slid over to Ipo for confirmation. She said, "He's an idiot." Eugene knew that they were lying though. It was hard to get falseness past someone who has the seed of suspicion planted in their mind. Snafu let out a loud singular laugh. It was almost mocking, like he thought that she was the one who was stupid.

Ipo put up her journal, grumbling, "I'm going to sleep." She slid down further into the foxhole and crossed her arms over her chest, closing her eyes. The two men politely ceased all conversation. It took her a while because all she could think about was how tightly Snafu was pressed against her side. The warmth drew her head to his shoulder and she was out like a light.

Eugene stared at the spot where Ipo's temple and Snafu's uniform connected. Snafu didn't acknowledge it. He just sat there staring off into the distance. Eugene decided that now was the time to say something. He scooted closer to Snafu. He sat there quietly, not sure exactly how to say what he needed to. Finally, he said, "It's wrong."

"What's wrong?" Snafu muttered.

"You know what." Eugene replied, glancing down at Ipo.

Snafu followed his gaze, "I didn't know sleeping was a crime."

"No, but what _you're_ doing is."

"I'm not doing anything, Sledgehammer."

"Stop it, Snafu. I know. Even if I didn't, Ipo would tell me." Eugene leaned in and spoke even quieter, "You don't know him like I do. For Ipo's sake, don't even try to."

Snafu's eyebrows were furrowed tremendously. He didn't like the way Eugene's words sounded, "What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

"It means," Eugene said slowly, "Leave. Him. Alone."

"You and him?" Snafu asked. He was accusatory, but didn't want to elaborate. It hadn't been the first time that the thought had skittered across his mind that there was something between them. The way that they would laugh at inside jokes that no one else understood or the way they would just grin at each other.

Eugene, however, looked utterly shocked, "Absolutely not! Ipo's like my-" He had to choke on the word that almost leaked out of his mouth and replaced it with, "Brother. I'm Christian man. Just do what I say. I don't want him getting in trouble." He didn't want Ipo to be found out. He had protected her and seen her through for this long and he wasn't about to let it all go to shit just because Snafu could sniff her out.

Snafu was quiet for a moment before saying, "... That's what he says, too."

"Maybe you should fuckin' listen because Ipo is a hell of a lot smarter than most of us."

They ceased the conversation. Nightfall came and Ipo woke up. For a bony guy, Snafu was very comfortable. He was sleeping. Eugene was perched up right with his gun at the ready, but his eyes were closed. He was snoozing on the job. Ipo had to pee. She climbed out of the hole and stayed low on her way into the forest next door. She walked until there was a thick line of trees between her and prying eyes. Ipo pulled down her pants and leaned her back against the tree, relieving her bladder.

She didn't hear the twig snap until it was too late.

A hand wrapped itself around her mouth, squeezing her face to stifle her scream. She was yanked up and her back was pressed against someone who didn't speak English. It was pitch black out, but she could see their outlines by the moon glow. Two Japanese soldiers who were pointing at her exposed self. She was touched there for a moment by the enemy holding her and she started lashing out. The one not clutching her punched her hard in the face, right on the temple. Bursts of light exploded from behind her eyes. She didn't feel herself hit the ground, but she felt one of them lay on her back and enter her as her scream was drowned out by a gunshot just outside of the woods.

Ipo then blacked out.

Snafu was jerked out of his sleep by the gunshot and sat straight up, "What was that? What happened?" Similar questions were resonating from other men.

"Two Japs... I think." Eugene answered, "One ran down the road, the other jumped in Packer's foxhole."

"Alright, stay in your foxholes." Burgin ordered, "Stay alert, there might be more."

"Where's Ipo?" Snafu whispered.

Eugene looked behind him into the foxhole. She wasn't there. He had a sudden fear that she was the one who had been shot. She never said the password when leaving the foxhole out of fear of someone following her. He and Snafu looked at each other, both thinking that she was probably dead. They wouldn't disobey orders to go looking for her. This was war and people died. So, they sat there. It was only a few minutes later did they have their confirmation.

"Eugene?" A shaky voice said. It wasn't a whisper, but it was so quiet that it might as well have been. Several heads turned to look at Ipo as she slid down into the foxhold.

"What the fuck, Ipo?" Burgin said, "Say the fucking password."

None of them were close enough to see Ipo like Eugene and Snafu were. They were staring at her with wide eyes. She was completely covered in fresh blood. Her eyes were wide and she was shaking, clutching her side.

"Ipo...?" Eugene breathed.

"What happened?" Snafu asked, moving closer to her.

Ipo moved her shaky hands to the bottom of her shirt and pulled it up. There was a blade tip sticking out of her side. She swallowed and said in a choppy sentence, "Get it out."

Eugene looked at Burgin and opened his mouth, but Ipo jerked her hand out and gripped Eugene's jacket, yanking him down towards her, hissing, "Don't say a fucking word." She gulped, "Just take it out." Eugene nodded. She was terrifying at this moment. The scariest thing he had seen. Eugene inched his hands towards it, hesitant. Ipo looked at Snafu and pointed to her bag that she left in the hole in her tired daze. He wasted no time in grabbing it and handing it to her. He looked scared as well. Or maybe he was staring in wonder at the silent tears that ran down her cheeks, mixing with the blood. She tore it open and shoved one of her many rags into her mouth. She jutted out her hand towards Snafu, waving it impatiently. He ignored it completely and crawled next to her, placing himself between her back and the dirt. He wrapped his arms around her, gripping her hands and pressing them up to her collar bones to keep them out of Eugene's way.

Eugene's hands started shaking, too, and he stalled by asking, "Where did you go?" Ipo just grunted, impatient. Her tears were fat and it made her feel disgusting. It wasn't relief, like she thought it would be. Snafu pressed his lips to the tip of her ear, whispering to her in French. Eugene gripped the blade and paused. Did he rip it out or do it gently? He looked up at Ipo and all she did was nod at him. He took that as a 'quickly'. He swallowed, trying not to think about how this was Ipo. He ripped it out. She didn't make a single sound, but her eyes squeezed shut and her hands gripped Snafu's so hard that he thought he heard a crack, but that might've been her jaw as it chomped down on the rag in her mouth. Eugene quickly grabbed a canteen of water and drizzled it over her cut. It wasn't wide, but it was a little more than a couple inches deep. He reached into her bag and took out a rag, holding it against the wound.

Ipo spit out the rag in her mouth, "Medical kit." Even her voice sounded watery. Eugene nodded and dug in her bag for it. He took out the iodine swabs and applied it to the edges of the wound. He then sprinkled some sulfanilamide directly into the wound. Ipo stiffened violently. Snafu squeezed her tighter, kissing her ear and the area around it repeatedly and quietly. She closed her eyes to it. It was calming her down, but not by a lot. He couldn't kiss away the pain. "Sew it up." Ipo demanded. Eugene wanted to deny the request, but he had to. It deep as hell. Eugene pulled the needle and thread through her skin, glancing up at Ipo's clenched eyes every time. Eugene immediately put dressing on it when he was done. He lifted her shirt more to wrap it around her stomach and tie it. That's when he noticed that her pants were undone. He froze and stared at it before slowly looking up at Ipo. Her eyes weren't wide or crying, but they were daring Eugene to say a word. Instead, Eugene started buttoning them. She jerked a little at first. Snafu didn't notice.

"We need to take you back. You need to see the doctor." Eugene said. Ipo shook her head. "You don't have a choice." Eugene said. "... You need to go home."

" _You_ don't have a choice." Ipo told him. Her voice was hard.

Snafu lifted his head, "He's right, Sweetheart."

"Fuck you." She hissed quietly, "I'm fine. I belong here."

"What happened?" Snafu asked again. His voice almost wasn't audible.

Ipo didn't want to say. She didn't want to acknowledge any of it. Ipo gulped, "I want to sleep."

Eugene stared at her for a moment before nodding, "That's a good idea. We'll talk about this in the morning."

"The fuck we will." Ipo muttered. She was already half asleep from the stress. Ipo fell asleep within seconds after that. Eugene just stared at her, not believing what just happened. He couldn't see her face very well. Eugene wet a rag and began wiping the blood off of her. It definitely wasn't hers. Him and Snafu didn't say a word to each other while Eugene wiped her face.

"You might want to stop holding him." Eugene said after Ipo's face was clean, "Before the others notice."

Snafu didn't want to. He wanted to fold Ipo up and tuck him into his shirt to protect him from everything, but that wasn't possible. Snafu wanted to escort Ipo himself back to the camp and make sure he was looked after, but Ipo, as well as Haldane, definitely wouldn't let him. He moved away from Ipo slowly to not wake him.

War was fucked up.

In the morning, Ipo felt sobered. Eugene had woke her up just before the sun peaked over the horizon to change her dressing and she fell back asleep. She was too exhausted to dream and she was terrified of what she would see in the nights to come. Then, they all were woken up.

"How long you people been doing this?" Gunny yelled. Ipo was standing a little ways behind Eugene. Her side was screaming and she needed to take pain meds, but not while anger was being emitted. "You don't get out of your fuckin' hole at night because this is what happens!" Guilt started settling in the pit of Ipo's stomach, "One of us gets tired. One of us gets lazy. One of us doesn't keep his edge on and this," He looked like he was about to cry, "This is what happens."

"What the hell were you thinking?" Burgin walked up to her, not yelling like Gunny Haney was,"You could've gotten killed."

Ipo looked at him with not much expression on her face, "It won't happen again." But, it would. She couldn't feel much, emotion wise at the moment.

"He was attacked."

Ipo's eyes widened as her head jerked towards Eugene. He was staring straight at Burgin, not even acknowledging her presence, "Ipo went to take a piss and he was attacked. He's injured and needs to go back to camp."

"I'm fine." Ipo immediately said.

"Where? Show me." Burgin demanded. He had rank over her. She couldn't run away like she wanted. This was a betrayal.

Ipo clenched her jaw before lifting up her shirt and showing him the bandaged wound. There was some blood that had already leaked through, "It's fine. I can still walk." She said. She hated showing that much skin. Men's hips weren't as curved as hers. She wished she was a man. Maybe then the Japs would've just killed her. After a few moments of Burgin staring at it, she lowered her shirt.

"Tell me what happened." He said.

Ipo refused to gulp and told the version her mind made, which wasn't all too different, "I went into the woods to piss and I was jumped. Two Japs. I took care of them." Eugene was staring at her now and so was Snafu from across the way. He was making his way over.

Burgin wanted to be surprised that she killed them both, but it was Ipo. It wasn't that difficult to conceive. He nodded, "You didn't see any more?"

"No."

"I'll volunteer to take him back to camp." Was the first thing out of Snafu's mouth when he reached them.

Burgin shook his head, "Camp's too far away and the wound's not that bad. We have supplies here to treat it. Besides," Burgin looked at Ipo, "If he can walk, he can fire a mortar."

"Thank you." Ipo said, "Mahalo." She sounded very sincere.

Burgin nodded, "I would promote you if you weren't so damn stupid." Ipo laughed at that. Burgin gave a tight smile and patted her shoulder before walking away.

The smile fell from her face as she looked at Eugene, her anger clear. He tried to explain, "I was trying to help you."

"Fucking traitor." Ipo hissed before walking away, hitting her shoulder against Snafu's on her way away from them.

Snafu looked at Eugene, "What'd he say to Burgin?"

"Lies."

Ipo took her pain pills and they were told to move out. As they were walking, Leyden wouldn't drop it. He said, "What kind of guy gets out of his hole at night without soundin' off?" Ipo was walking behind him. Her guilt grew and reached her ribcage.

"The kind who has two Japs up his ass." Snafu replied from next to her. He watched Ipo as her hands gripped her gun tighter. He didn't know, though. No offense to him, but he wasn't as smart as Eugene. She didn't even want Snafu next to her, but he put himself there, like he always did. Those kisses he left on her were forgotten; outweighed by the trauma of the woods. She would have loved it to be the other way around, but the mind has a way of focussing on the negative. Ipo could still... Feel... Everything. She swallowed back the vomit that was trying to escape.

"Just the one." Eugene corrected Snafu.

"Leyden knows what it's like to have a Jap up his ass." Snafu teased. Ipo's face stayed blank.

"Fuck off." Leyden responded. Ipo couldn't say a thing. She just had to calm down before the edges of her vision narrowed any more than they already were. "And what kind of asshole shoots the guy?" Leyden continued.

"An asshole like you." Eugene said.

Immediately after that, a marine was sniped in the leg. They all ducked for cover, Snafu almost falling on Ipo to get her down. Her side exploded, but she ignored it. She had to. She also wanted to push Snafu off, but was afraid that he'd get shot if she did. Gunny ordered them to move and Snafu gripped her arm, yanking her up and dragging her down the road. Ipo jerked her arm, but he didn't let go. Hillbilly told the Mortars to plant the mortar behind a bunker and she was once again dragged. She was being reminded that Snafu was stronger than her. She didn't want anyone to be stronger than her, ever. As soon as they were kneeled on the ground, Ipo yanked her arm and shoved Snafu at the same time, freeing herself. It was seen by Eugene, but he didn't say anything. There was no time.

Eugene suddenly motioned for them to be quiet, listening. He could hear something that Ipo couldn't. Her ears were too busy trying to ring. He tapped Burgin, whispering, "Burgie. Japs in the bunker."

"First Platoon cleared it with grenades." He said. Eugene demanded he listen, but Burgin was certain, "Wake up, Sledge."

"Burgie." Eugene stated defiantly, "I'm sure. They're in there."

"Just fucking check it out." Ipo hissed. It wasn't just her side that was hurting. Her head was starting to pound as well. When were those meds supposed to kick in?

It took him a moment, but Burgin stood and crept over to the bunker and listened, training his gun on the slits of the vents. It only took him a second before he started firing, "Son of a bitch!" They all shot up from their spots to help him. The kickback of the rifle didn't help her pain. The Japs were firing back. They all ducked behind the cement ledges and Burgin shouted, "Sledghammer! Check that side!"

As soon as Eugene peaked his head over, an enemy let out a yell and started firing. Eugene ducked just in time and Snafu began firing down into the bunker, "Up here!"

"Keep 'em bottled up until I come back!" Burgin yelled.

They all aimed their rifles into the narrow passage ways. Ipo's heart was beating too loud. She didn't see who did it, but suddenly, "Fire in the hole!" Was shouted and Snafu was once again on top of her. She was getting real tired of it, real fast.

Japs came running out and Leyden shot one in the head. "Grenade!" He shouted repeatedly. Snafu shoved Ipo off of the side of the bunker. She landed on the ground hard, but didn't feel anything until Snafu rolled off the top and landed directly on her, knocking all of the air out of her. The stab wound on her side felt like it had ripped all the way down her side, splitting like a seam. Ipo began coughing and Snafu grapped her face, looking at her to see if she was alright. Ipo shoved him off of her, shouting, "Get off of me!" She looked at him with such anger that all he could do was stare with parted lips as he propped himself up on his elbows. The moment was cut short, however as the sound of a tank came rolling towards them and Burgin shouting, "Get off the bunker God damn it!"

He had left to get a tank.

Snafu and Ipo looked at each other before they both scrambled to their feet and started running. The tank fired and they fell down next to a few trees. Japs came running out of the bunker, limping through all the damage done to their bodies and the marines opened fire.

"Where's Eugene?" Ipo asked the wind.

"You're bleeding." Snafu told her, ignoring her question. Ipo looked down at her side and saw that the blood had leaked through her clothes.

"If you wouldn't have pushed me off the fucking bunker." Ipo hissed as she sat down on her knees, digging through he backpack to tend to the wound. It was a bit difficult to do herself and Snafu noticed. He sat down as well and reached for the bandage that she was trying to wrap around her middle. She slapped his hands, "No."

"Let me help." He said.

" _No_." She stressed.

Snafu tensed his jaw and his hand shot out, gripping the back of her hair to yank her head foreward. Their foreheads clashed and he stared angrily into her eyes, "Let. Me. Help." He didn"t wait for an answer. He roughly brought his face forward and connected their mouths, kissing her hard. It only lasted a couple of seconds, but white and green lights exploded from behind her eyes and she became lightheaded. His lips were terribly chapped and she couldn't say that hers was any better, but that didn't matter. He was kissing her in the middle of daylight with men all around. It was luck that they didn't see. If they did, they kept it to themselves. Snafu let go of her and she didn't put up a fight. Her fingers felt numb, anyway. Snafu didn't give a shit about Ipo and Eugene's words of warning. He was going to do what he wanted and he wanted to kiss Ipo.

This was too much for her.

Snafu tied the wrapping and looked at her, "We'll find Eugene." He pulled her up and steadied her, "You good?"

"Are you?" She asked in return, not really thinking about it.

He grinned, "Not really." He pulled on her arm briefly just to get her to follow him before leading the way back to the bunker. Men were dousing the leftover Japs with fire and Ipo thought of Pele again. This whole scenerio would just delight the goddess to her core. Not the burning of the enemies, but the romance in the middle of war. It annoyed Ipo. Marines began shooting at the burning Japs and through the flames, Ipo could barely make out Eugene lying in a hole.

Ipo left Snafu, oblivious to the fact that he was shouting as he was killing. She ran over to Eugene and crouched, "Shark Bait, you alright?"

He just stared at Snafu, not registering her.

"Ipo?" The man under Eugene asked. It was Leyden. His face was black with char and his eyes were clenched tight.

"Hey, Leyden. Lookin' good, man." She said.

"Fuck you." He didn't find it funny.

Ipo put her hand on Eugene's shoulder, "We have to move Leyden, Eugene." After a moment, he slowly turned his head to Ipo. He was gone. The old Eugene was broken. They moved to an area where he could be looked at along with the rest of the injured men. Then, Eugene left to sit by himself. Ipo stayed with Leyden for a bit just so that he'd have company until the Doc arrived. Then, she was ordered to move away.

Ipo's eyes moved around and she saw Snafu stealing a Japanese flag from a dead soldier. She didn't want to stand there by herself to think for too long and she didn't want to bug Eugene, who was obviously working through some things. Ipo walked over hesitantly to Snafu and just stood there across from him. She felt her chest tingle and wondered how her body could feel such a range of emotions at such high levels all at the same time.

Snafu glanced at her and held out the flag for her to take. She shook her head, "I've seen plenty."

Snafu nodded and looked over at Eugene, "Your boy's not lookin' too good."

Ipo looked at him as well, "He'll be fine as soon as he realizes what he needs to realize."

Snafu looked back at Ipo, "And what's that?"

"I can't tell you. You need to realize it, too."

"And you have?"

"Obviously, or else I wouldn't be saying this right now."

Snafu chuckled, "Smartass."

They were quiet for a moment, Snafu examining his new flag before Ipo said, "Don't ever do that again."

"Do what?"

"Kiss me."

Snafu must've not been expecting her to say it as he looked up at her. He searched her determined eyes before saying, "I will."

"What?"

"I will. I saw your face. You liked it just as much as I did."

Ipo glanced around for any prying ears, "That doesn't matter."

"Bullshit."

"What matters," She stressed, "Is fighting in the war and I can't do that in prison."

"No one will find out. I'd kiss you right now if I could. Hold you close and whisper French in your ear. I know it gives you chills." Snafu's voice became quieter and more sultry with each word and Ipo felt her heart pounding again.

Ipo realized her lips had parted when she went to speak, "I... I'm going to go." Ipo quickly walked off, ignoring Snafu's laughter. This was all bad. Where was that ocean so that she could float away? They were on an island, surely if she kept walking, she'd find it. Instead, she stopped by Eugene and fell down onto the concrete wall next to him. He had a Jap sword, something that the old Eugene wouldn't have taken. He was trying to be like everyone else there. He wanted to be distant from it all. To not care. That was the wrong thing to do. They didn't speak to each other for several minutes. It was her friend who broke the silence.

"What happened in the woods?" His voice wanted to and tried very hard to be flat and careless, but their was despair and sadness leaking through the spaces.

Ipo understood what was happening him. It happened to her. She didn't mean to, but she flinched at the question like someone had stabbed a large needle into her thigh. He was trying and grasping at every reason there was to hate the people he had signed up to kill. She stared at a tree in the distance. Its trunk was bloody, "... You know." She sounded normal like it wasn't devouring her brain like a cancer, even though it was. The only thing that was battling it, fending it off, was Snafu's pretty mouth that whispered things that made her eyes go blind.

"What'd you do to them?" The way he said it made her look at him. He wasn't full of despair. He was angry. He was taking notes.

"You don't want to know."

"Yes, I do."

Ipo observed him well. He didn't look at her, but he didn't need to to get the point across. He wanted to get through the rest of the war. Ipo wanted him to as well. For that reason, she told him.

 _She had only blacked out for a couple seconds before she came rushing back. Her pupils felt dialated and everything was amplified as the adrenaline and panic surged through her. She didn't mean to but, she screamed into the man's hand. He punched the back of her skull, saying something that she couldn't understand through the panting. She could see the other man standing close, masturbating. Ipo then remembered what exactly was happening to her. She was being raped. Ipo's hands were free and she slowly moved one down to her knife on her belt. She wished she could go faster. She wished so much so. It felt like eternity, but she finally gripped the handle and wasted no time in yanking it out of the hoslter, using the momentum to hurdle the blade straight into the Jap's temple. He immediately stopped moving and Ipo ripped the blade out as the other man fumbled for his sword. She pushed the dead man off of her like he was nothing and jumped onto the still standing Jap, plunging the knife into his neck. She went down with him. She stabbed twice more, the blood spurting onto her face before she opted to slice his neck so deep that she could see bone._

 _Ipo stood on shaky legs. Her entire bottom half was naked as she stood there, looking down at the one who had thought it to be a good idea to stick himself inside her. Finally, she went over to him, sat on his stomach, and just started stabbing his chest. Over and over again she stabbed. Ipo didn't know that she had started crying. Didn't even know that she had been stabbed. It didn't matter. All that mattered at that moment was that she had to make his chest cavity a bowl of mushy flesh, blood, and bone. She only stopped when she realized that her fist was making a slight splashing noise when it landed against him. Ipo blinked and stood up, looking for her pants. As she bent over to grab them, the pain in her side shot through her entire body and she fell down with a grunt. Ipo lifted up her shirt and saw that the tip of the Jap's sword had broken off when they had fell._

 _Ipo sucked it up, put her pants on, and went back to the foxholes without a glance back._

"I thought about mutilating his penis." Ipo said abruptly and nonchalantly, "But, I didn't even want to look at it." Eugene's expression had turned darker throughout her story and when she was done, he immediately threw the sword down on the ground. Eugene looked at her, looking for something. Ipo felt uncomfortable, so she said, "Just another side effect of war."

"How could you be like this?"

Ipo furrowed her eyebrows, "Like what?"

"You just went through... And you're still... you."

She rose her eyebrow, saying slowly, "Yeah... I always will be."

Eugene looked so perplexed, "... How?"

"Ah," Ipo said with a smile, "That's something you have to learn yourself, young one."

"We're the same age." He argued.

"Yeah, well, I was born in June." She said. Ipo wanted to break away from the conversation and she knew she shouldn't say anything about it, but it made her heart jump and Eugene was her best friend. She leaned closer to him and whispered, "Snafu kissed me."

Like expected, the reaction was great. He shot up and looked down at her with shock and anger in his eyes, saying loudly, "What?!" Several heads turned in their direction, including the one that they were talking about. Ipo gripped the elbow of his jacket and yanked him back down, shushing him. Eugene turned his body towards her, speaking quieter, "Did you punch him?" This was a glance at the old Eugene.

"What? No."

Eugene hopped up again, "Then, I will." He made it one step before Ipo stood and grabbed his arm, forcing him to sit back down as she stood across from him.

"Will you stop?" She hissed.

"I thought you were going to take care of it?" Eugene looked like a father reprimanding a child.

"I tried! He's just..." Ipo glanced over to where Snafu sat eating a can of meat next to Burgin, "Very persistent."

Eugene shook his head, "But he thinks you're a man."

"Yeah, so?"

His jaw dropped again, "It's a sin!"

Ipo blinked at him, "... That's it? That's your concern?" Eugene looked offended. Ipo snorted, "We don't have the same God, Shark Bait. Besides," Ipo sat back down next to him, "He says he's not queer."

"If he wasn't, he wouldn't have done it." Eugene was starting to get that expression again.

"And I'm a girl." She reminded him.

"You don't look like it." Eugene told her, "If you get caught... You're fucked."

"I won't let him do it again." Ipo said, determined, "I'll punch him for you."

"You better."

They were quiet for a moment before Ipo snorted again, "" _A sin_ ". You know how many girls I've kissed?" Eugene's head whipped up to look at her and she threw her head back in laughter. She was good. She was fine.

That was until they heard strangled cries behind them. They both looked back and saw a marine on top of a Jap, digging a knife around in his mouth for his teeth. This was the first time Ipo had seen it. The noises were getting to her. She was good and now she wasn't. She turned away from the scene and closed her eyes, counting out loud, "ʻEkahi... ʻElua... ʻEkolu..." She was squeezing her fists. She wanted to hurt the marine and never see another knife inside a Jap again.

"Christ, put him out of his misery!" Eugene yelled at him.

"Fuck off!" Was yelled back at him.

"ʻEahā..." She said through gritted teeth, "ʻElima... ʻEono... ʻEhik-" A gunshot went off and Ipo jumped, turning around to see what happened. Snafu was standing there with a gun in his hand and the Jap had a bullet in his head. He was staring at Eugene and Ipo.

"Makes it easier." He said before walking away.

The marine got back on top of the dead body and started rooting in its mouth again. Ipo gulped, her vision started to tunnel. She stood, "I gotta..." She didn't even finish the sentence before her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she fainted.

What a fucking kohe.

Minutes later, she was slapped awake. Her hand jut out and hit whoever hit her as she slurred, "What the fuck?"

"Shit!" Said the voice, "Jesus, Sweetheart."

"I told you not to hit him." Came another voice with a thick southern accent.

"Ipo? Ipo, can you hear me? Open your eyes."

Ipo opened her eyes, squinting at the three heads above hers. Snafu, Eugene, and Burgin all hovered over her, their noggins almost touching.

"You alright?" Eugene asked.

"I can't believe you fucking passed out." Snafu laughed, "Fuckin' pussy." Ipo's temper immediately flared and she grabbed the front of Snafu's shirt bringing his forehead down on her rising one. He let out a yell of pain and fell back, grabbing his forehead.

"I'd say he's just fine." Burgin said with a smirk.

"I think his side best be checked out for an infection." Eugene said.

"You can do that, can't you, doctor's boy?" Burgin said, "We really can't do much else."

Snafu, in a random fit of vengeance, kicked Ipo's leg. It did't hurt much. What did hurt was her head. "Did I land on a pōhaku?"

"English, Ipo." Burgin once again reminded her.

"A fucking... Rock." It took her a moment to remember the word.

"Yes, you did." Eugene said, "It's called De 'Leau's head." He began lifting her shirt, but she jumped harshly, smacking his hand away and crawling backwards an inch, running into Burgin. Eugene lifted his hands in surrender.

"Whoa," Burgin said, "I'm getting out of here before I get hit, too. Let me know if he passes out again." He stood and left.

"Just need to check your wound." Eugene said.

Ipo was breathing heavily, but she nodded, "Yeah, okay." She still sat on her knees and lifted up her shirt herself. Eugene undid the bandaging the bandage. They didn't have an unlimited supply, so he very carefully kept his dirty hands clear of the area that was going to sit back on it. Snafu scooted next to Eugene and they both stared at it.

"You look like a girl." Eugene said. He had to or else Snafu would think it and get suspicious. That was his reasoning, anyway.

Ipo looked at Eugene, warning in her eyes, "I can either take out my dick and make you suck it or kill you in your sleep. Your choice."

Snafu laughed at the look that was on Eugene's face. The red head said, "I'd rather you kill me, thanks. Besides, I'm sure Snafu would love to do the former." He muttered the last part, but they both heard it.

Snafu immediately looked at Ipo, "You can't keep your mouth shut?"

"It's Eugene." Ipo said it like it was an obvious and valid excuse.

"I told you he'd tell me." Eugene spoke to Snafu, "I suggest you take it no further. I don't want to hear about it."

"What makes you think Ipo didn't start it?"

Both Ipo and Eugene snorted at that. Ipo said, "Trust me, it's done." She spoke sternly and made sure that Snafu watched her say it so that it'd get through his thick skull.

Snafu's face darkened, but he eventually said, "... Yeah. It's done."

"Good." Eugene said, finally looking at the hole in Ipo's side. The stitches had ripped, "It doesn't look infected. Just needs to dry out a little. So, it must've been stress."

"Wow." Ipo muttered, "I really am a pussy."

"Yeah, you are." Snafu said before standing up and leaving them. He was angry. Ipo didn't have much of her available to care about how he felt. She was too busy trying to ignore her own disappointment. Rain began to fall.

"Can't dry out now." Eugene said as he quickly put the bandage back on, muttering, "You like him."

"I don't like anyone but myself." She said, pulling down her shirt and digging out her poncho from her bag, yanking it over her head.

"And you're a liar." Eugene informed, putting on his own poncho. He and Ipo chuckled.

Later that night, Eugene and Ipo were sitting in silence. Snafu was talking loudly about the best type of gun with Burgin a little ways away from them and she couldn't help but feel that it was to spite her. Eugene had melted from the small sliver of a good mood he was in and landed into a giant pile of depression. Haldane came through, offering coffee and his opinion of the right type of gun for war. He crouched by Eugene and Ipo, offering the Alabamian some coffee. He could tell that Eugene wasn't doing too good as well. Haldane told Burgin that he'd need some of the Mortarmen to help carry the injured. Ipo would be more than happy to. Ack-Ack said that Leyden was fine, cleaned up. Nothing he was saying was making Eugene feel better.

"You can't dwell on it." He said, "You can't dwell on any of it." Of course Eugene was going to try to do that. He'd try anything to stop feeling. Haldane told them to get some rest since they were leaving at dawn before he walked away.

The rain falling on to Ipo's face made her feel like she was being cleansed. That was the god Lono's doing. He's Pele's uncle. He made farming possible. He made peace happen. Ipo wondered if Inoke and ʻAuliʻi were celebrating Makahiki. Usually, Ipo was the one to force all the farming families together to celebrate it. Ipo turned her head to the sky and closed her eyes, saying more to herself than to anyone else, "It was not allowed to kill, to fight, to wage war. No one would sail or beat a cloth or drum. No horns were to be blown, no ground to be dug."

"What are you on about?" Eugene asked.

She continued, ignoring him, "Because Heaven, thunder, earth, life, hills, mountains, oceans, and family were sacred to Lono."

"You goin' Asiatic?" Snafu called to her.

"For four months, there would be nothing but peace as everyone celebrated the Makahiki." She opened her eyes and looked in the distance, "It's Makahiki and there's a war. Lono's probably real mad about it."

"Is Lono supposed to be a God?" Eugene asked her.

"The very one that's making it rain." She answered.

"I thought your God was Pele." Burgin said. He secretly loved that story she told him, Ipo could tell.

"My God is Pele. She's the ʻaumakua. My family's God. It's supposed to be a relative, but according to Aunty Iolana," She didn't miss the eyeroll from Eugene, "Pele is my relative."

"Who's Aunty... Whoever?" Burgin asked.

Eugene groaned, "Not again."

Ipo smacked the back of Eugene's head, "Respect your elders!"

"Some old bitty who does some sort of Voodoo." Snafu informed him.

"I don't know her!" Eugene defended himself.

"You don't have to," Ipo"s voice turned dark, "Because she knows you." She leaned in, "And some night, when you go to sleep, she'll be there. In a black corner of your dark dreams and slowly, oh so slowly, she'll emerge from that corner, stare at you with her black coal eyes, and whisper...," Ipo paused, letting him soak in the suspense, "... " _Why you talkin' shit, boy_?"" Eugene shoved her away and she, as well as a few other marines, laughed.

"I should've never gave you that Edgar Allen Poe book." Eugene said, the kicked puppy look was back on his face. Ipo just grinned at him.

"We should get some rest." Burgin demanded.

Ipo's 'rest' was her going from just occasional noises in her sleep, to shooting straight up. No one had woken her, so she must've been silent. Ipo couldn't tell if it was rain or sweat running down her face. She did remember her dream, however. It wasn't much different from her original nightmare, but instead of the amputated hands holding her down, it was a dead Japanese soldier, whose blood cascaded out of his chest and onto her face like a waterfall.

"Ipo."

She looked over to Snafu, who was awake in a different foxhole. He didn't feel welcome in theirs, but when he got a good look at her unusually pale face and heavy breathing, he abandoned his spot and crawled into their foxhole, where Eugene was sleeping. It wasn't his turn to keep a lookout.

"What are you do-"

"Shh." Snafu put a finger to his lips as he sat down next to her. She jumped when he put his hand to her forehead. He must've been checking for fever. There was none. Snafu then unexpectedly put his arms around her and pulled her into his chest. She pushed at him, but he whispered almost desperately into her ear, "I'm not going to kiss you. I just want to hold you. Please." Ipo stiffened for a moment, not sure what to do. But, he felt so warm and nice, even through the plastic poncho, and she felt like her tunnel vision and the ringing in her ears were going to overwhelm her. So, she relaxed against him, resting her face in the crook of his neck as she wrapped her arms around his middle because surely he wanted to be held, too.

They sat there for a while, just clutching on to each other like they were on of them was about to fall off of a building and the other one was somehow going to pull them back in through a window. It was a strange pleasantness that should never occur in the middle of mayhem. Snafu needed to leave, though, before dawn came and they were all forced awake. Ipo pushed away from him. It looked like he was about to fall asleep. She knew she shouldn't have, but she felt a surge have panic when he moved to go, so she grabbed his arm, forcing him to stay and then she leaned forward, kissing him lightly. The same explosion behind her eyes happened accompanied with the same feeling in her chest. He kissed her back, placing his hand on her cheek, rubbing his thumb against her cheekbone.

Ipo pulled back, but he followed, pecking her once before letting go because he knew that he needed to go. "Don't tell Sledgehammer." He whispered to her. He sounded like he didn't have much breath left. Ipo nodded and Snafu left, then. She didn't go back to sleep, but knew that if she did, she'd be fine. She also knew that she was now completely fucked. She ignored herself and her screaming insides. Maybe it was just to relieve stress, kissing Snafu. It was one slip up and she'd never do it again. Ipo wouldn't tell Eugene because there was nothing to tell and there will be nothing to tell.

She'd make sure of it.

Dawn came and they moved out. Eugene was still in the rut he had settled in and Snafu hadn't even looked at her. Ipo hadn't spoken all morning. It wasn't just her redheaded friend that was in a rut. Everyone was. Even she felt off somehow. Like in the few moments of eerie silences after a storm had passed where the air still smelled like rain and mud. It rained on her island almost every night. Kauaʻi was the best smelling place on Earth, in her opinion. If the wind blew one way, you'd smell coffee and sugar cane while the other breeze would bring in the sweet smell of pineapples. Mix that with the salt of the ocean and what came out was paradise.

Ipo really missed home.

Later that day, under heavy fire and mortar strikes, Ipo was ordered to stay back with Burgin when Eugene and Snafu and the other men ran up to the front to help the injured men. Neither Eugene nor Ipo liked to be separated since that first day on Peleliu, but shit needed to get done. She just patted him on the shoulder and said, "You'll be fine." Eugene gave a nod. On their way out, Snafu gave her a pat on the shoulder as well, but she jerked herself away from him. Ipo had to be clear that it was a one time thing. Two time thing.

Soon, they grabbed who they needed to grab and were ordered back by Burgin. It was a relief to see that Eugene hadn't been one of the ones to get his head blown off. They brought back Hillbilly. He was already dead. The reactions of each men were the same in their own ways. Gunny had that look like he was going to cry again, but worse. He was escorted away. Ipo and Hillbilly weren't that close, but he was the mother to their father and she didn't react well to dead mothers. She closed her eyes and rested her forehead on the rock in front of her. Every time she needed a stone to be cold, they were always burning hot. She change her position and sat down next to Eugene, realizing that he asked her a question all the time that she really needed to be asking him.

"Are you alright?" She whispered at him. Ipo didn't know why she whispered, but she felt that people around them shouldn't hear him asked that question. Eugene just looked at her. His expression was the answer.

They made it through and soon were sitting in foxholes. No one said a damn thing. Until, "Did you see Haney?" De 'Leau said, "Haney is the old breed. If a guy like that breaks..." He trailed off on the thought, but they knew what he meant, "Hillbilly's dead." He ended.

"Can"t dwell on it, Jay." Eugene answered, "You can't dwell on any of it."

"We go into those Hills again and I'm going to get hit. I know it." Jay didn't know that everyone else thought this every day and that it was forbidden to say it out loud. He shook his head, "I don't even care any more... Just as long as it's quick."

Very suddenly, there were gunshots that were too close to them. Way too close. Everyone grabbed their guns and readied themselve. Marines were screaming from their points that there were Japs everywhere. Ipo instinctively looked behind her, but there was nothing but a giant rock. She wasn't in the forest, she was here. That was then, this is now. She heard that familiar language that she didn't understand and she felt very much like she did on the first day of battle. She couldn't run. She had to stay.

De 'Leau started crying. Eugene tried to comfort him. That was why Eugene was going to survive the war. He could try to adapt to the soldier mindset, but he will always be Eugene. Ipo stared at them, realizing that Snafu had done the same thing to her. Was that who Snafu was? Was he someone who just wanted to help others? Before that moment, she had no doubt in her mind that he joined just so he could say he killed Japs. Ipo's eyes scanned second squad, finding Snafu a little ways away from her, staring at her. He was angry at her again and she wondered why he kept doing the things he did if all she did was piss him off. Her gaze dropped down to her boots and they stayed there.

The next morning, most of them were awake, just waiting for Jay to rise. No one wanted to bug him. Ipo nudged Eugene's foot, "What's up with the ipu, anyway?" She pointed to his pipe, "You look like Popeye the Sailor Man."

"I think it makes me look sophisticated."

"You look like you should be eating spinach by the mile."

Eugene rose his eyebrows, "You mean ton?"

"Yeah, whatever."

Jay woke up then and Eugene immediately asked how he was. Not good, apparently, since he got up with urgency, holding his stomach as he ran towards a cave. A cave. Why hadn't she thought of that? Here she was, still running off to do her business behind trees (even though Eugene had started going with her) when she could have been taking advantage of those intricate, annoying caves.

That idea was shot down quickly. A Jap came chasing after Jay, who was showing his bare ass that had unmentionables coming out of it, yelling for everyone to shoot him. They were all a little to surprised to react quickly, but eventually Snafu was the one that fired.

"What the fuck's the matter with you? Why'd it take you so long to shoot him?"

"Damn, Jay, it's not comin' out your mouth, it's coming out of your ass." Burgin said.

"Looks like you were in a sack race, Jay." Snafu grinned before mocking him, jumping around like Jay was.

"Ah, shit... I shit myself." Jay finally figured out. Everyone laughed.

"Go back and get some new dundarees, Jay." Haldane told him.

"You left a trail, boy." Snafu said, "They're going to find us now."

Ipo couldn't stop grinning at him. He _was_ the type to make people feel better. Eugene was laughing. Everyone was happy, even if it was for a split second.

That was over with soon, however, as they were ordered back into the hills. The mortars were ordered to stop where they were as the rest went up ahead. They were only there for about half a minute before Burgin came back. Something wasn't right. His face was scrunched up.

"Sniper got the Skipper." He informed.

"Captain Haldane?" Jay asked.

"Ack-Ack's dead." Burgin confirmed.

Captain Haldane was gone. It didn't register in her mind, even when Jay started crying. It only clicked when they escorted his body down on a stretcher. She saluted without even realizing she was doing so. Eugene was crying. Snafu was crying. She was not. Ipo placed her arm loosly around Eugene's shoulder and he leaned his head against her side. Haldane was the only one who never doubted her abilities. He was an angel of a man.

Now who was going to believe in her?

They didn't have long to mourn. They were told to keep going. The ringing in her ears started again and she couldn't even hardly hear it. She was, once again, numb. They made their way across an already fought for battlefield. There were all types of dead, rotting, bloating, fly-infested bodies, but Ipo paid no mind. She had seen worse and she hoped that one day those words would actually cancel out the horror she was experiencing. Mortars were ordered to stop again.

Eugene went to sit next to a dead Jap. Ipo didn't want to be anywhere near it. So, after stalling for a moment, she followed after Snafu, who went and sat down on the blown up bunker roof so he could dangle his legs over. It looked like her sudden appearence alarmed him as she sat down next to him. There was no way to avoid their legs touching and, much to her dismay, it was easier to see the dead Jap from up there. In irritation, she laid on her on her back, staring up at the sky and watching those transparent squigglies float around. Snafu stared at her for a moment before doing his own thing. He must have decided that he was still mad at her.

Pretty soon there was a splashing sound that she ignored at first, but then she thought that maybe it was the enemies stepping in leftover puddles, so she propped herself up on her elbows to see what was going on. Snafu was throwing rocks into a Japs blown off skull. Watching it land in the mushy puddle of blood and insides reminded her of things that Snafu was supposed to help her forget. What was worse was that Eugene was seeing it, too. She shot op and gripped onto Snafu's wrist hard as he was about to toss another rock, squeezing unnecessarily tight as they stared into each other's eyes. Snafu could swear to God that he saw a literal fire in them.

Snafu looked away when he heard a movement. It was Eugene, crawling up towards the dead Jap that Ipo had been trying to avoid. Her grip slipped from Snafu's wrist as they watched Eugene take out his knife.

"What you doin', Sledghammer?" Snafu asked.

"Thought I'd bag me some Jap gold." He wanted so bad to feel like the Veterans.

"You don't want to do that." Snafu warned.

"Why not?" Eugene looked up at him, "I saw you do it." Ipo's gaze immediately turned to Snafu. His jaw had clenched for a split second.

Snafu didn't have an answer for that. He did do it. Ipo wasn't there, she didn't see it. He was taking too long to answer. Eugene turned back towards the corpse and Snafu yelled, "Don't! You shouldn't do it... Germs," Was his reason, "Doc says that all these dead Nips have germs."

"Germs." Eugene repeated.

"Bad germs. Diseases that'll make you sick."

"... Bad germs." Eugene was searching for a reason not to. Trying to convince the side of him that needed to feel numb that it was a valid excuse. He still didn't feel numb. He looked up at Snafu a little desperately, "Well, is it alright with you if I cut out his insignia, then?"

Snafu shrugged, "No danger in that I know of."

"Yeah? That passed muster with you?" Eugene was challenging him now. Snafu wasn't taking the bait. Eugene sliced off the insignia and sat ack down.

Ipo went to stand up to go sit by him, but Snafu gripped her arm, saying quietly, "It's best to leave him alone."

"Well, what do you know?" She grumbled back, taking away her arm.

"I've been here longer. Men at this stage need to be left alone."

Ipo looked down at Eugene who was rocking back and forth a little, and shook her head, "He needs a friend."

"He needs to be alone." Snafu grabbed her elbow again, even though she wasn't moving, " _I_ need you."

Ipo looked at him then. He looked desperate and there were tears in his eyes. Was she the only one who seemed so heartless? She looked back down at Eugene, who had stopped rocking, before back at Snafu. Finally, She nodded and laid back on her back because her friend had accidentally turned the corpse's head and it was staring straight up at her. Snafu stared down at her for a moment before laying back as well. Their sides were pressed up against each other and he grabbed her hand in his. He moved his head so that it rested against her shoulder. She moved hers so that it rested against his curly hair. She was doubly fucked.

"Mahalo for stopping Eugene." She whispered.

"He's one of the good ones." He answered.

~~ A/N~~

The songs mentioned in this chapter are, in order,: Blood in the Cut- K. Flay, Oli Kono, My Name is Human- Highly Suspect, and Darker Than Dawn- Cobi. I own none of them. English Translations, in order,:

 _P_ _ā ilina -_ Graveyard

 _Nunui_ \- How great/Very great

 _Nani kou waha._ \- Your mouth is pretty.

 _Māmā_ \- Nickname for 'mother'

 _Lōlō_ _ʻ_ _ōlelo kēlā_ _a ke_ _ʻ_ _ōkole_ _ʻ_ _oe_.- That language is stupid and you're an ass.

 _Ke hele nei i aha_?- What's going on?

 _Je veux t'embrasser_.- I want to kiss you


	4. Chapter 4

**~~~ A/N ~~~**

 **Very gruesome and sensitive topics in this chapter. English translations will be at the end.**

Later that day, they finally made it back to camp. It didn't feel right without Haldane and Hillbilly. She was in the medical bay getting her side stitched back up when Eugene came by and said that they were going back to Pavuvu. Finally. It had been two months too long.

They left pretty quickly after that. Everything felt like a blur. No one hardly spoke to each other. Ipo made jokes that garnered no laughs. She was out on the Pacific again, but she wasn't floating towards home like she wanted. Snafu only ever sat close to her when Eugene wasn't paying attention. She wanted really badly to tell him, just so that he could smack some sense into her. But, it was exhilirating. Snafu didn't know her secret and he was willing to break the rules for her anyway.

They arrived back on Pavuvu and were greeted with a strange sight. There women in pearly white dresses were serving lemonade. She immediately felt panicked. What if they took one look at her and knew? Could women smell other women? She didn't remember being able to do that.

"Oh, my..." Ipo breathed.

"What the hell are they doin' here?" Eugene said more as a statement.

The three of them traveled over to the table and Ipo felt pressure to act like a man. The woman with red hair sat down a cup in front of her. Ipo picked it up, "I like your hair." She said.

"Thank you." The lady smiled.

Ipo drank the lemonade, smiling, "Delicious." She gave a wink for good measure. The lady blushed, which was good.

"Okay, Marine! You've had your look-see now move along."

It was then brought to her attention that Eugene was staring at one of the woman. It might've gone over better if he didn't still have the look on his face; the one that read how much of a piece of shit the world was. Eugene trained his eyes on the man who dared to speak to him and hesaw the entire war on Eugene's face.

"Shark bait." Ipo muttered, nudging Eugene lightly with her elbow. He glanced down at her before chugging the lemonade and throwing the cup down on the ground and abruptly leaving. Ipo flashed a quick smile to the woman that she was flirting with before going after Eugene, talking quietly, "Jesus, Eugene, you'd think you haven't seen a girl in a while."

Eugene stopped walking and looked down at her with the same eyes that he gave that man, "I haven't." Ipo was frozen to the spot as Eugene turned and walked away from her. It felt like he had just stripped away a part of her, threw it on the ground, and spit on it.

"Sweetheart," Snafu came up beside her, bumping her shoulder with his to get her to start walking again, "There's no way you're gonna get that girl."

"Why's that?" She didn't really care.

"You're too short. Girls like to stand up on their toes to kiss a man, not hunch over."

Ipo scoffed, "I've kissed girls taller than her before." Which was true. On the occasions where Analu and her broke up, Ipo liked to experiment a little. Women were divine and anyone would have to be blind to not see that.

"Sure you have, little man." Snafu grinned.

"You just watch." Ipo and him headed into the tent they were assigned, "I'll have that girl tripping over me." She sat her stuff down onto her cot. When she turned around, Snafu was right up against her.

He rested his forehead onto hers, "I don't want to watch."

Her breath caught in her throat and for a second she wanted to enjoy this moment, but she couldn't. Ipo pushed him away, snapping, "Stop it. There's women here now."

Snafu looked confused, "So what?"

"So, go kiss on one of them." She paused before forcing, "I don't want it any more." Out of her mouth.

He just stared at her with a blank expression, like he didn't believe what he was hearing. Suddenly, Jay came running in for a moment to yell, "Second squad, to the beach!" Before running off again. Ipo walked quickly out of the tent before he could say anything to her. This give and take thing that she's been doing has got to get to him eventually. He'll quit her on his own.

When she got onto the beach, she immediately stopped walking, saying a little too loudly, "Oh my fucking God." There was a chuckle next to her and she looked down at Eugene, who was still sitting in the sand with, thankfully, his pants still on. The rest of the squad, however, were walking out into the ocean butt naked.

"You goin' in?" Eugene asked jokingly.

"Absolutely not." She answered.

"Why not?" Snafu walked a little bit passed her, taking off his shirt.

"Stitches." She said quickly, "I can't get my stitches wet."

Snafu looked at the men in the ocean before looking back at her, "I'll stay out here with you."

"No." She said.

"Please, Ipo." Eugene said, "I want to go in the water."

"I don't need someone with me. I'm a grown man." Ipo grumbled, not sounding like a grown man at all.

Eugene stood and smiled, "Just don't want to leave you to roam with all these women around." He then very quickly yanked off his pants. She looked away and tried to not seem so awkward about it, but it was pretty obvious. Ipo wanted to say something about him supposing to be a gentleman, but she couldn't do that. Eugene went off to the water and she shook her head at the whiteness of his body. Definitely shark bait.

"Sure you don't want to go in?" Snafu asked.

"I'm fine, thanks." Ipo turned and walked past him, away from the beach. However, on the small trail between the trees that led back into the camp, her arm was grabbed and she was quickly dragged into the neighboring woods.

"What the-" Ipo attempted to yank her arm away, but the mere fact that she couldn't let her know that it was Snafu. He roughly pushed her against a tree and pinned her there with his body. He grabbed her face with both of his large hands and smashed his lips onto hers. It was so good, but she pushed him off, "Get off!"

Snafu grabbed her face again and placed his forehead against hers again, "I. Want. You. I don't want those girls. You don't want those girls. You want me, too. You can lie, but I know. _We_ know."

Ipo was gripping his sides tightly, breathing a little heavier than she wanted to. She closed her eyes, "Snafu, you need to forget this."

"I can't." Snafu kissed her briefly, "Please just let it happen." He whispered.

Ipo grabbed his wrists and pulled his hands away from her face. She didn't let them go. She rested her forehead against his bare shoulder, her voice muffled, "It's bad."

"All the good things are." He whispered into her ear.

Ipo always was the type who did what she wanted. Very delicately, she kissed his collar bone. Snafu let out a sigh of relief and satisfaction. She kissed and bit up his neck. He was making small noises that she enjoyed very much. Snafu pushed her away and kissed her lips again. He was hard in his pants and she felt panic. She didn't have a penis to get hard and he was pressing against her in a way that made her feel that, if she had one, he would feel it, too. Snafu began sliding his hands up her shirt, feeling the tightness of her stomach. That wasn't good. He wasn't raising nor lowering his hands, but she couldn't let him touch there. She also didn't want to stop.

Ipo roughly pushed him away, but before he could say anything, Ipo dropped to her knees and started tugging at the zipper of his pants. He grabbed her hands, "You don't have to." His pupils were dilated, but she looked collected and calm, like always. Ipo closed her eyes and kissed the area right above his pant line before undoing his dungarees. Ipo pulled his underwear down, freeing Snafu's dick. She felt uncomfortable doing so, but she wanted him to stop feeling like he had to be angry and numb. Ipo grabbed it. She had only done this once before when she was fifteen and decided to never to it again.

Ipo stuck out her tongue and licked it very unprofessionally. She looked up at Snafu just to see his reaction to find that he braced himself against the tree and his eyes were closed. Ipo then put as much of it as she could in her mouth. He was about the same size as Analu, but thicker. She sucked on it and rubbed her tongue on it. Snafu grabbed the back of her hair and moaned. She took it as a good sign. Ipo tried to go deeper, but she almost gagged and had to pull away completely.

"You can stop." Snafu could barely say.

Ipo could see the white goop starting to come out of the ugly tip and she didn't want to stop. She enclosed her mouth around it again and started bobbing her head along it. Snafu bit into his own arm to stifle his cry. It didn't take long after that for him to finish and it was awful as he came into her mouth, but she just swallowed it. He bucked his hips, riding out his orgasm and she let him. Ipo pulled away, watching as his soft penis fell down. She thought it to be polite to put him back in, so that's what she did. She didn't like sucking cock, but she really liked giving Snafu euphoria. Ipo stood up, standing between Snafu and the tree that he was resting his forehead against. He was breathing heavily. She stroked his sides with her thumbs before kissing his cheek and walking away. Ipo just wanted to stop him from touching her there.

Snafu pulled her back, however, and kissed her long and softly on her lips. He pulled away and looked into her eyes, "Not queer my fuckin' ass."

Ipo shoved him away from her, "Fuck off." She turned and walked away from him, calling back, "Aloha." It was very casual, but her heart was beating out of control and she needed to separate from Snafu before she passed out. Back in Wainiha, the town she lived on the outskirts of on Kauaʻi, she had a friend named Ruth and Ruth really enjoyed men. She told Ipo that her favorite thing to do was give blowjobs. Ipo didn't really understand it until now. Snafu's moans and groans were still echoing in her head and were barely tuned out by the shock that she even just did that. She really just put Snafu's cock in her mouth and swallowed his cum.

Ipo's chest felt tight and her vision started going, making her walk faster to her tent. Snafu wasn't those Japs in the woods and she needed to calm down. She laid down on her cot. Maybe he would leave her alone now. Most of the men that Ruth sucked off never spoke to her again after that. Amazingly, her friend was okay with that.

At night, after everyone was asleep in the tent, she went to the beach herself to bathe in the water. She didn't talk much for the rest of the day and she couldn't even look in Snafu's direction without feeling heated and embarrassed. She didn't even go eat, although she really should have, seeing as she could still taste him. Ipo sat on the beach for a while, her empty mind being filled with the sound of the tide.

"What are you doing out here?"

Ipo looked up and saw the redheaded nurse. She just gave a shrug before looking back out, "Why are you?"

The nurse sat down next to Ipo, digging her toes in the sand, "The tent was a little stuffy." They sat in silence for a moment before she said, "I'm Annalise."

"That's pretty." Ipo smiled at her, "I'm Ipo."

"Where are you from? If you don't mind my asking."

It wasn't an unexpected question, "Hawaiʻi. Where are you from?"

Annalise gave an embarrassed smile, "Indiana."

"Is it nice?"

"It's alright. It's not an island, that's for sure." Annalise laughed.

"Every place has its own beauty." Ipo said. Even Peleliu. Its beauty was that they weren't there any more. Annalise stared at the side of her face before looking out at the spot in the distance that Ipo seemed to be looking at and they were quiet for several minutes. Finally, Ipo said, "We should get some sleep." She stood and held out her hand for Annalise. The nurse took it and stood. She really was quite a bit taller than Ipo. She might've even been taller than Snafu. Ipo smiled, "Let me escort you back to your tent. You never know who's wandering around."

"You're wandering around." Annalise said.

Ipo grinned, "That's my point." Annalise laughed and lead the way to her tent. Ipo tried not to look at that kapu spot in the woods while they passed.

"You're very sweet." Annalise said as she stopped in front a tent that must've been in the area where all the women were staying.

"Give it a while." Ipo said.

Annalise chewed on her lip and Ipo recognized the signs very well. The nurse asked, "Would you have breakfast with me in the morning?"

Ipo didn't want to be rude and she had been surrounded by testosterone for so long that she nodded, "Yeah."

Annalise smiled and leaned down, kissing Ipo on the cheek very much like she had done to Snafu. Annalise grabbed her tent's door, "See you in the morning, then."

"In the morning." Ipo confirmed. Annalise was then safely in her tent and Ipo headed back to her own. She stepped in, jumping at the voice that immediately spoke.

"The fuck did you go?" Snafu's voice was hoarse and a little loud. He had just woken up.

Ipo shushed him and laid down in her bunk, flipping onto her stomach like she always did to sleep. However, she didn't think she'd ever be able lay on her stomach again after what happened. Ipo flipped back over and gasped, but Snafu's hand covered her mouth and placed his finger to his lips. He had been extremely quiet when he walked over there. He slowly removed his hand and leaned down, connecting their lips softly. Ipo felt like she was melting down into her bed. Snafu pulled away just as slowly, stroking her cheek for a moment before standing and going back to his cot, laying down to sleep.

Snafu didn't sleep, though. All he could do was stare at the tent wall in front of him. He felt disgusted with himself with how hard he begged Ipo to let him touch him. He felt awful about how he couldn't control himself. He really did need to just be near Ipo because the little Hawaiian just wiped everything bad out of his mind and all that was left was his stupid face and the goosebumps and chills that ran down Snafu's spine when they even grazed each other. Snafu realized that he was hooked on Ipo ever since he saw him hiding behind Sledgehammer on their very first day on the island. It should've been obvious. And, God, he could still feel Ipo's mouth around him and his dark eyes staring up at Snafu.

Snafu wasn't queer, but he would do just about anything for Ipo.

Ipo didn't have nightmares and she was irritated about it because she knew why she didn't. She didn't want Snafu to keep kissing her and she didn't want her to want him to.

"That's where you went?" Snafu asked on their way to the canteen, ruffling Ipo's hair, "To get cleaned up?" She slapped his hand away.

"You're too good to wash up with the rest of us?" Burgin asked.

"ʻAe." She said.

"That means 'yes'." Eugene informed them, chuckling. He still wasn't the same, but he wasn't completely gone, yet.

Ipo's eyes landed on the redheaded nurse sitting at a table, looking incredibly uncomfortable as a marine sat across from her, flirting, and she suddenly remembered that she was supposed to go eat breakfast with her, "Ah, shit." She mumbled.

"What?" Eugene asked.

"I have to eat with Annalise." Ipo quickly plopped some slop onto her metal tray and walked away.

"Ipo, no." Eugene quietly tried to stop her, but it was too late.

"Annalise?" Snafu asked, watching Ipo go, "Since when did they get friendly?"

Ipo walked up to the table and sat her tray down on the edge, grabbing the occupants' attention, "Leave." She demanded of the marine. His face dropped. He knew Ipo. He's been there through all of her other fights and knew that if he didn't do what she said, things might not go so well for him. He stood, staring Ipo down, but leaving like she ordered. Ipo sat down in his place.

"Wow. I'm impressed." Annalise smiled.

"Don't be." Eugene sat down next to Ipo. She dropped her head and groaned as he said, "He paid him." Eugene was there to make sure that, even though she was masquerading as a man, she wouldn't engage in homosexual activity or have the sudden urge to have a 'woman-to-woman' moment and reveal the secret.

Ipo looked at Eugene and, just to spite him, said, "ʻO ia kā? I'm on a date."

"A date?" Annalise asked, a little smile.

"Sounds like you're the only one on this date." Eugene said.

"No." Annalise looked at Ipo, "He's not."

Ipo grinned cockily at Eugene, "Shark Bait, this is Annalise. Annalise, this is Shark Bait."

"You can call me Eugene. No one calls me Shark Bait but Ipo."

"Nice to meet you, Eugene, but, um..." Annalise whispered, "We're kind of on a date here."

Ipo snorted and hid her laugh behind her wrist before she said, "Yeah, so beat it."

"Are you sure you want to be left alone with him?" Eugene jutted his head in Ipo's direction, "He can be a little much."

Annalise smiled, "Thank you, but I"m sure I can handle him."

Eugene shook his head and looked at Ipo, "Watch yourself, Ipo."

"I'm sure Annalise can watch me for me." Ipo said, grinning when she successfully made her date blush.

"Oh, brother." Eugene muttered before standing and leaving to go sit with the friends. Ipo watched him go, smiling before she caught the eye of Snafu. He was staring right at her, his elbow resting on the table and his fingers picking at the curly hair on his tilted head. His expression was blank and, for anyone that knew him, that meant he wasn't happy. She heard Eugene sit down and tell Burgin, Jay, and Snafu loudly that Ipo was on a date. He did it to, hopefully, rile them up into making fun of Ipo. It didn't work, though.

Ipo peeled her eyes off of Snafu and looked at Annalise, smiling, "He's annoying, but he's a good guy."

"A rare breed these days." Annalise said, eating her food. Ipo had forgotten completely that she had food in front of her. She hadn't been hungry since Snafu emptied himself down her throat and she decided that she wanted it out of her belly. So, Ipo began eating, too.

"What's a girl like you doing on an island like this?" Ipo asked.

Annalise chuckled, "That's cheesy."

"Cheesy?" Ipo asked, "The food?"

"No, you. You're cheesy." She laughed.

Ipo blinked, "What does that mean?"

Annalise stared at her for a moment before laughing again, "It means corny. Silly. It's a line that's been used a thousand times."

"Oh." Ipo nodded, "Well, I could ask something that you've probably never been asked before."

"Really?" Ipo nodded in response. Annalise crossed her arms on the table and leaned forward, "Let's hear it, then."

Ipo nodded, "Okay, let"s see..." It was harder than she thought.

"Is that too tough of a task for you, Marine?" Annalise rose her eyebrows.

Ipo laughed, "Give me a minute, here." She liked Annalise. She was witty and funny and that was the best combination. Ipo grinned and leaned towards her new friend, asking quietly, "... Have you ever kissed a devil on his red lips?"

Annalise hadn't lost the smile, "I can't say that I have."

"Would you like to?"

Annalise rested her chin in her hand and gave Ipo that stare that she herself had given men, "Do you fancy yourself a devil, Ipo?"

"Yes."

Suddenly, a cup hit the back of Ipo's head and a Louisiana accent shouted, "Get a room!" Followed by laughing by everyone at the table.

Ipo turned and shouted playfully, "Eat shit, Snafu!"

Annalise laughed as well before saying, "I have to get to work, anyway. I'll take a rain check on that kiss." She stood and, as she was leaving, leaned down and kissed Ipo on the cheek before walking away quickly with rosy cheeks.

Burgin let out a whistle as Ipo sat down next to Eugene, "How did a guy like you get a girl like that in just a day?"

"I'm not a dickhead." She said.

Eugene snorted, "Yes, you are."

"Besides," Snafu said, still picking at his hair, "You are what you eat."

"Fuck you." Ipo kicked him under the table hard. The rest of the guys laughed, but Ipo knew that he said that as a threat. He was pissed off at her and wouldn't be afraid to tell people what happened. She was glad for her dark complexion or her face would look like Annalise's hair at that moment. "I'm going back to the tent." She stood.

"No, you should go get your stitches taken out." Eugene stood as well, "C'mon, I'll walk with you." They left the cafeteria and on the way to the medical tent, her pale friend whispered harshly, "You're getting that poor girl's hopes up."

"No, I'm-" Ipo sighed, "If I start dating Annalise, then Snafu will give up."

Eugene stopped walking, "You mean to tell me he hasn't?"

Ipo rubbed her forehead, "I guess I'm not helping, either."

"... You've got to be shitting me." He was angry. Everyone was always angry at her.

"I have feelings, Eugene." She whispered harshly, "I can't help it. I can't say 'no' to him, I've tried. It'd all just be easier if he left me alone for good."

"Does he know?"

"No, he doesn't." Ipo crossed her arms, "And I like Annalise."

"Annalise probably doesn't like women or liars." There were men passing by, which made Eugene whisper quieter and sound more menacing.

"Every girl likes women, it's in our bones. Besides, I'll end it before it goes too far. Don't worry, I've thought it out."

Eugene shook his head, "I don't like this."

"You don't like anything, Shark Bait. Now, if you'd excuse me, I'm going to have my future girlfriend take out my stitches." Ipo turned and walked away from him. It had been a little more than two weeks since she got them in, which meant that they needed to come out. Two weeks? That couldn't have been right.

Annalise was too busy with someone else, so she couldn't do it. The stitches were cut and pulled out and were covered by a bandage. Ipo's mood had dropped considerably on her way to the tent. Something was off and she couldn't place her finger on it. The only people in the main part of the tent were Snafu and Eugene. She didn't acknowledge either of them as she fell back onto the cot next to Snafu's and closed her eyes.

"How'd it go?" Eugene asked. He wasn't even looking in her direction.

"Fine." She mumbled.

It was completely silent for quite a few minutes before Snafu spoke, "Are my eyes yellow?"

"Why would your eyes be yellow?" Eugene asked in annoyance.

"C'mon, your old man's a doctor," Snafu said, "Look at my eyes."

Eugene sighed as he sat up, "Give it a rest, Snafu."

"Seriously. I'm gettin' that Yellow Jandis that's been goin' around, I know it. The heebie jeebies."

"It's Hepatitis and you don't have it." Eugene snapped. Ipo's mood wasn't the only one that dropped.

Snafu ignored him, "I'll catch a fever and then turn inside out through my asshole like Carson from Love Company." Ipo snorted, causing the men to look at her. They must've thought that she was asleep.

Snafu stood, more serious, "Come on, look at my eyes." Eugene did what he said just to shut him up. "I'm dying, Sledge."

"Hey." Jay suddenly entered the tent.

"Hey, check out my eyes, Jay." Snafu immediately rounded on him, "They look yellow?"

Like Eugene, Jay ignored him, "I just got transferred out of King."

Ipo sat up as Eugene asked, "What? Where?"

"Head Quarters Company." He grabbed his things from under his cot.

"It'll be alright, Jay. I'm sure you're just down the road." There it was again. That version of Snafu that never seemed to die. Burgin had come out of his little set up on the outskirts of the tent.

"Yeah... I'm just down the road." Jay said, not as confident, "Least I could do is buy you guys a drink a the slop chute."

"Mālama pono, Jay." Ipo said, "Take care." They were never great friends, but there was still a bond.

He nodded at them before leaving. None of them really knew what to do, so they all just sat back down where they were. For several moments they were quiet, like they were mourning the loss of their brother. Finally Ipo motioned at Snafu, "Come here."

He looked at her warily for a moment, but did as she said. He sat on the edge of his cot, mirroring her. Ipo gripped his chin and started examining his eyes. His lips parted and Ipo didn't think that Snafu even knew he did it. It only took her a couple of seconds to let go of him and lay back down on the cot like she had been previously, "They're not yellow, they're red. You're tired. And you look like you've been crying." She muttered the last part.

"Fuck you, I don't cry.

"Maybe you should."

Eugene let out a scoff, "You're one to talk."

"I've cried." She defended herself.

"Yeah, when you had a blade sticking out of your side." He argued.

Ipo didn't say anything because he was right. Was it a flaw to not be able to shed tears any more? Something heavy settled down on Ipo's mind and her eyebrows furrowed. How long ago was that? Two months or so? Then, her mind finally clicked and her entire body unnoticeably tensed. She should've had her period twice on that island. She didn't even have it once. Please, no. Ipo very suddenly felt bile rising up her throat and she quickly leaned over the side of the cot, vomiting onto the ground out of disgust for even the mere thought.

"Ipo?" Eugene sat up. She just threw up out of nowhere. Snafu stood and placed a hand on her shoulder, but she violently smacked it away and stood up, backing away. Eugene didn't grab her, but he put his hands out as if to calm a wild bear, "Hey, you alright?"

"Excuse me." Ipo muttered. wiping her mouth and quickly leaving the tent, heading for the beach. The tide didn't do a thing to calm her and the sun was too bright on her. She fell on her bottom and stared at the horizon, like she always did. Ipo was trying to calm down, but she also was okay if she passed out and lost consciousness for a few minutes.

Ipo was pregnant. That was the theory. She'd never been late by more than a couple of days. It's been weeks. She was starting to hyperventilate and she gripped at the sand like it was going to anchor her floating soul back into her body. Her vision was fading to green and her ears were ringing. After a minute, she suddenly stopped. Her soul was back where it was, her vision was fine, and her hearing was picking up the tide and silence. It was that eerie thing after the storm again. Ipo was able to think clearly and her mind told her to wait another week or two, just to be sure.

One thing was certain, she wasn't having a fucking rape baby.

When she went back to the tent, Eugene asked if she was okay, but she just waved him off. It took her almost three weeks to be able to speak to anyone but Annalise and even when Ipo sat down to eat meals with her nurse friend, she didn't say much. Just to ask the nurse questions about her personal life to keep Annalise distracted from Ipo's questionable mood. She definitely didn't have an appetite, since she kept throwing up. It was a hard thing to hide, but when she ran off to the toilets, everyone thought it was the shits. She constantly felt like crying, but it never came.

Annalise had started kissing Ipo. Not on the cheek, but on the lips. Ipo felt bad and understood why Eugene thought it was cruel. If Annalise knew Ipo was a woman, she'd be devastated. She was from Indiana and sported a gold cross around her neck. It was for that reason that Ipo wouldn't take it as far as Annalise wanted to go; telling her that Ipo was a gentleman and wanted to be respectful.

Snafu would stare at her often. Ipo was avoiding him because she didn't want to be around any men who enjoyed touching her. Eugene figured that it was part of her weening of Snafu. After about four days of her staying out all day hanging out with Annalise or on a very secluded part of the beach, Snafu had kicked the cot she was lying on hard, making it move quite a few inches before asking loudly, "What the fuck's your problem?" Ipo just continued staring at the book that she hadn't actually been reading.

"Your girlfriend not suckin' your dick?"

That blinding rage had exploded in Ipo and she blacked out for one second and when her vision came back, she was pulling her fist away from Snafu's bent middle. She punched his gut so hard that he threw up the slop he just ate onto the ground he was bent over. Eugene had been sitting in his own cot, reading his own book, and didn't look up until he heard the gagging noises. He had scoffed and said, "Never talk about a man's woman." Before looking back at the book. Ipo followed his example and looked back at her own book, which was Edgar Allen Poe.

Snafu didn't bother her any more after that.

What ended her silence was when Eugene pulled her aside when they got done with moving oil drums. Her had a grip on her arm as he forced her into the surrounding trees. They didn't go very far, Eugene just wanted a bit of privacy. He grabbed Ipo by her shoulders and looked at her, "Did I do something? Why won't you talk to me?"

It took two seconds before she finally started crying. It was sudden and Eugene took his hands away as if he broke her. Ipo placed her hand over her mouth to stifle her sobs. Eugene quickly wrapped his arms around her and hugged her into his chest. He was shocked and didn't know what else to do as Ipo gripped the back of his shirt. Eugene placed a hand on the back of her head and shushed her. He wanted to tell her that it was going to be okay, but he didn't want to lie to her.

It wasn't known how long they stood there, but the sun had definitely moved in the sky. Ipo had stopped crying a few minutes ago and was just holding on to Eugene.

"You alright?" He asked quietly, afraid that any loud noise would break her.

Ipo loosened herself from Eugene and sat down where she was, leaning her back against the tree behind her. Eugene cautiously sat down next to her. She was staring at the tree in front of her. Her eyes were red and watery, her face was much like Eugene's on Peleliu. It didn't look right on her. She was either happy or angry, but never depressed. They were quiet for several more minutes. Eugene only glanced at her occassionally to see if she was alright.

"... Can you do something for me?" Ipo's voice was ghostly, barely even there.

"What do you need?"

She looked at Eugene with an odd desperation, her voice cracking, "... Could you hurt me?"

"What?" Eugene turned his body towards her.

"Please." Ipo grabbed his hand with both of hers, "Please, Eugene."

"What do you mean-"

Her grip tightened and she sat up on her knees, "You have to kick me in my stomach."

"What?" Eugene yanked his hand away, "Why?"

Ipo just grabbed the sides of his face, "Eugene, you are my best friend. You're the only person who can do this. Please." Tears began leaking out of the corners of her eyes again.

Eugene was stunned into silence. He's never seen her look this way. He's only seen this look on someone whose intestines were hanging out of their dying body. He couldn't ask why. Ipo was staring at him like he was her only hope in the world. He slowly nodded, "... Okay."

Ipo let out this shaky breath that was something of relief, "Thank you. Thank you so much." She then laid down on her side in the dirt, "Okay."

"... Now?" Eugene asked.

"Please." Was all she could say.

Eugene watched her lay there for a moment. She was staring at a small twig sticking out of the ground next to her face. Her tears have stopped, but she was emotionless. Eugene looked down at his shoes, gathering himself before he stood up, looking down at her.

"Right here. As hard as you can." Ipo said, placing a hand on her lower abdomen. Eugene wanted to protest, but he couldn't. He was in it now. He nodded. "Don't stop until I say." Ipo whispered, an unseen tear leaking out.

Eugene's hands were shaking. He didn't want to hurt Ipo. He dragged his foot back, gulping, "Are you ready?" Ipo just nodded, closing her eyes. He closed his briefly as well before tensing his jaw and, after telling himself that Ipo wanted this- needed this, for some reason- he kicked her hard where she told him to. Eugene's legs were strong. Ipo bit down on her arm as her friend kicked her again. And again. And again. With each kick, Eugene forgot where he was. He became more angry and soon it wasn't just Ipo who needed it, it was him. No one was keeping count, but it went on for a while. Even after Ipo threw up. Even after she threw up twice. It was after the pain splintered out to her thighs and upper ribcage and became so unbearable that she started sobbing and plead for him to stop.

Eugene stopped, breathing heavily. He was there again, staring down at his friend, who was crying into the crook of her elbow. The guilt crashed down on him, making him drop onto his knees next to her, "Oh my God, are you okay?" He pulled her arm away from her face and grabbed it, making her look at him. Her eyes were lidded and her breathing was ragged. Eugene shook his head, "I have to take you to the medical tent." He started to slip his hands under her body, but she gripped his wrist.

"No."

"Why'd you make me do that?" He asked, needing the answer now.

"Just... Just go get me a blanket. Please."

Eugene stared at her for a moment before nodding, "Okay. Okay, I'll be right back." He stood and stumbled away from her, turning and walking quickly out of the woods. He wanted to go to the medical tent anyway and drag Doc out to look at her, but he didn't know what was happening or why she wanted that. Eugene didn't like the thought of her needing it to take away the emotional pain she was feeling. If Ipo was that gone, then... Everyone else had no chance.

Eugene walked into the tent and gathered up Ipo's blanket. He grabbed the pillow and rucksack, too, as an effort to make her more comfortable. He turned to exit the tent and was met by the stares of Snafu and Burgin. He didn't even realize that they were in there.

"Where you been, Sledgehammer?" Snafu asked, "You've been gone for hours." Had he? The sun did look to be setting.

"What are you doing with Ipo's things?" Burgin asked.

Eugene's hand tightened around the items in nervousness, having to come up with a lie quickly, "Ipo's sick. Has a stomach bug. He wants to hang out somewhere else so he won't bother us."

"Has he been to the Doc?" Burgin asked.

Eugene nodded, "He said that it'll pass on its own."

"Where's he staying?" Snafu asked.

Eugene didn't want anyone to know. Ipo definitely didn't want anyone to know. He didn't gulp like he wanted to, "In the sick bay, of course. Just wants his own things, is all."

Burgin nodded, believing Eugene, "Tell him I hope that he gets better."

Eugene nodded and left the tent, checking behind him every now and then to make sure no one was seeing where he was going. He even stopped to fill up her canteen on the way. He finally broke through the tree line and walked quickly to where he left Ipo. She was still there and he wasn't quite sure why he had expected her to be gone. Her eyes were closed, but she was breathing fine. He dropped to his knees next to her and lightly patted her cheek, "Open your eyes, Ipo."

"I'm fine." Her voice was strong. Her eyes opened and she smiled when she saw that he brought more than what he was told, "Good friend."

"I'm a terrible friend." Eugene said, folding her blanket in half and laying it on the ground. He moved her onto the blanket, watching her wince. He placed the pillow under her head.

Ipo snorted, her speech slurred from tiredness, "Shut up, Shark Bait."

"It's almost dark. You can't sleep out here."

"I'll be fine. A night under the stars." She winced from her chuckles, "You need to go back."

Eugene clenched his jaw before saying, "... I'll be back to check on you."

"ʻOluʻolu kāne." Ipo muttered as she closed her eyes. Eugene stared at her for a moment before getting up and leaving again.

Ipo's friend Ruth's experiences had been more relevant in the marine's life than they had ever been. There had been a couple of times when the girl had gotten pregnant and, seeing as how her parents were strictly Christian, it was best that she rid of the baby herself. Ruth had went around asking all of the girls who were like her how they had gotten rid of the little trouble. The general consensus was to either fall or use a coat hanger. Ruth had settled for the hanger the first time. She said that there had been so much blood and that every now and again, a piece of the baby would fall out. They were only white lumps, but it was going to be a baby. Ruth developed a terrible infection from it, however, and her parents had found out. People can't control free spirits, though.

The second time, she ended up 'tripping' and falling onto a piece of fence. It worked. Ruth said that it was bloody and painful.

Ipo didn't have a coat hanger. She had a friend with unresolved anger issues. She didn't know how big of an impact it needed to be for a baby to be aborted, so she probably let it go on longer than she should have. Ipo was feeling pain. The worst pain. She hoped that everything was okay. Everything other than the fetus. Did it make her cruel? Uncaring? What would her mother have said?

" _Only you know what's best for you, Ipo._ "

That's what she would've said. Her dad, however, would want her to have it and, if she didn't want to raise it, then he would. Her dad wasn't in any condition to do anything, now. Inoke wouldn't even hear the 'pregnant' part. He would hear the 'rape' and tear a rampage through the world. There would be nothing to take his anger out on because Ipo's own rage was far more extreme than his. And Eugene? Eugene would've taken it as a sign that he needed to tell. He would, the baby would've been born in jail, and sent to an orphanage.

Ipo unbuttoned her pants, working slowly through the pain to get her pants off. According to Ruth, the blood started soon after. If there was no blood, then it didn't work. Ipo pulled half of her blanket over the top of her while still laying on the other half.

Ipo closed her eyes and fell asleep. When she woke up, it'd be known if it had worked or not.

During the night, Eugene had gotten up to check on her. It was insanely dark in the forest. She was still breathing. He didn't think it was possible to kill her from the kicks, but he was terrified that the maliciousness of it would've been enough to take her life. She was fine. He went back to the tent and tried, but failed, to sleep peacfully. He was quiet during breakfast. He sat with Burgin and Snafu when Annalise stopped by the table.

"Have you seen Ipo?" She asked. She was a bit awkward, since she hadn't spoken to Eugene since their first meeting and she definitely had never spoken to Burgin or Snafu. Especially since the latter always looked at her so cruelly.

"What do you mean?" Burgin asked, "Isn't he in the sick bay?"

Annalise furrowed her red eyebrows, "I've been there most of last night and this morning. He's not there. Why? Is there something wrong?"

"Sledgehammer says that Sweetheart's got the flu." Snafu said without looking at her.

"That's not right. He was fine yesterday."

They all looked at Eugene. His hand fiddled with the knee of his pants under the table as he said, "... He really is sick. Just hit him all at once. Didn't want to worry you, Annalise." He ignored the quiet scoff that came out of Snafu's mouth. Ipo hadn't been having to sit across from Snafu as he obsessively watched the two girls interact. She hadn't been having to see how he had turned extremely bitter and almost unbearable when it came to the subject of Annalise. Eugene was surprised that he wasn't tearing into her at that moment.

"Well, where is he?" Annalise asked, eyebrows raising with impatience.

Eugene shook his head, "Sorry. Can't tell you. Ipo's orders."

"What are you, his bitch?" Snafu grinned.

Annalise sighed, "Okay, well, when he comes out of hiding, tell him I have his Christmas present."

"Unless it's your legs spread showin' off that red bush of yours, I don't think he'll want it." Snafu said nonchalantly.

"Snafu!" Eugene scolded, "Don't speak to a woman like that."

"I'm sorry for Snafu, Miss Annalise." Burgin said, "He wasn't raised right."

Annalise didn't look like she was too bothered, but Eugene saw the steel in her eyes. She smiled with her red lips, "That's alright. I imagine that since he acts like an animal that he was raised by them. Good day, Eugene. Burgin." She turned and walked away.

"You're lucky that Ipo wasn't here, Snafu." Eugene said, "Or you'd be dead right now."

"I'd like to see him try. She's a whore, anyways."

Eugene almost wanted to punch Snafu for his friend.

"Be honest, Sledge." Burgin spoke quietly, "Is Ipo U.A.?"

"No." Eugene said quickly, "He wouldn't leave the Marines unless someone a lot stronger than him dragged him away. Ipo's sick and doesn't want to go to the sick bay. 'Cause all the germs."

"Germs." Snafu said. The way he said it made Eugene know that he knew he was lying. He had used Snafu's own excuse against him.

"Yeah. Germs."

"If he doesn't come back by dinner, I'm ordering you to tell us where he is." Burgin said.

"I understand." Eugene didn't know if Ipo would be able to.

A little while after breakfast, Eugene was walking around aimlessly. He was afraid that Snafu was going to follow him out of curiousity. He didn't see the Louisianan and he felt that if a man with curly hair was following him, he'd know it. Finally, he was able to slip into the woods. He saw Ipo sitting up on her knees, leaning her side against the tree and staring at the ground.

"Oh, thank God. I told the boys that you had a stomach bug..." Eugene trailed off when he finally followed her gaze. She was staring at her blanket that laid on the ground in front of her. It was completely drenched in blood. In the middle sat something that made Eugene stumble backwards, his back hitting a tree. It was pink and had tiny arms and tiny legs. It had eyes and something of a nose. It was so small, but big enough. It had a small tube the size of a twig connected to it's translucent belly that led to a small gooey mass. It was a baby.

Eugene connected the dots quickly, "You... You made me... That was an abortion." He breathed, his eyes wide. He felt betrayed. Disgusting.

"It had to be done." Ipo sounded like she had been crying for hours.

Eugene became angry, "You made me kill a baby!"

"It's not a baby, Eugene." Ipo hadn't taken her eyes off of it for hours. She had woke up in the middle of the night with such an unbearable pain that she thought she was dying. She felt it come out. Every centimeter of it. Ipo hadn't touched it. She thought about burying it before Eugene got back, but he wanted answers and she felt that she should give them to him. "It's a stomach bug."

"Have you lost your fucking mind?" He took a step towards her like he was going to harm her, but he couldn't do that.

"Have you?" She trained her sharp gaze on him. Her eyes were red, tired, and still watery, "Did you think no one would notice? That I'd go to war with a baby on my back?"

"You would have gone home."

Ipo scoffed and looked at it, "I'm not going home, Eugene, that's the fucking point."

He turned his back to the scene, gripping his hair, "Do you even have a soul?"

"Can you not tell that this is the hardest thing I've ever done?" She was crying again, "If this didn't come from a Japanese rapist, I would have kept it."

Eugene then remembered. How did he forget that happened to her? He didn't even think of how the pink fetus was formed. All he could think about was how he signed up to kill grown men, not babies who had never had a chance. Eugene looked down at Ipo. She was hugging her own stomach. Out of the loss that just happened or the severe pain that she was probably feeling, he didn't know. He waited a moment before sitting down next to her, leaning his back against the tree that her temple was resting on. He stared at it, too. He made himself. This is what the enemy did. This is what war did.

"I have to bury it." Ipo said so quietly that Eugene almost missed it. She didn't move, however.

After a few minutes, Eugene said, "I'll do it."

"It's not your burden."

"It is." Eugene looked at her, "Because you're my burden."

"Thanks." Ipo still had the energy to be sarcastic.

"I don't mean it as a bad thing. You are one of my best friends, Ipo, and I can't imagine what you're going through. What you've been through." Eugene hadn't looked away from her. He really wanted her to know that he understood now. That she didn't have to handle this alone like she thought she did.

A new fresh batch of tears leaked out over her cheeks and Eugene wanted to take back the comment he made all those weeks ago about her dry eyes. Ipo unexpectedly reached out and hugged him tight around the neck. Eugene hugged her back. "You're a gift, Eugene." She whispered. He didn't feel like one. He pulled away and stared down at the dead fetus for another moment before standing, picking a spot nearby to start digging. He used his knife and wished that he had some of that anger left in him to make the stabbing at the dirt more enjoyable. Eugene wanted to dig a deep hole so that no one would come along and notice it. So that no natural thing could drag it out. It took a while.

Ipo had closed her eyes tight as Eugene folded up the bloody blanket around the baby. He tried not to look at it. Its beady eyes could kill a man. He laid the stiff blanket in the hole and wasted no time covering it with dirt, whispering the Lord's Prayer. After he patted it down, he sat back on his knees and wiped his nose of sweat. He caught a glimpse of a large rock next to him and picked it up, sitting it down on the shallow grave as a marker. Eugene sat still, staring at it as he asked Ipo, "You want to say anything?"

"... E kala mai iaʻu." Ipo whispered.

Eugene sighed quietly, putting his knife back where it belonged and looking back at Ipo. She was still staring at the ground where it had been, "I have to check your stomach. You could have internal bleeding." Ipo nodded, not opposed. She hadn't looked at it. Eugene crawled over to her and told her to lay down on her back. She did so with difficulty. Eugene lifted her shirt and had to turn his head away. The bruise covered her entire lower stomach, the edges fading up just past her belly button. It was so dark a purple that it took him a second to realize that it wasn't black, "How bad does it hurt?"

"Like someone had just tried to rip me in half." Came her easy answer.

Eugene pressed his hand down on it as gently as he could, but she still clenched her eyes shut from the stinging pain. He moved around, noting that she was a little less toned than what she used to be. She had been gaining pregnancy weight. He sighed again out of relief and pulled her shirt down, "No bloating. You're alright. I wouldn't be surprised if some organs were a little bruised." He paused for a moment before hanging his head and saying, "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault. Not mine either." Ipo gazed up at the sun rays that were broken apart by the leaves of the trees.

"Burgin said that if you're not at supper that I'll have to take him to you."

Ipo pursed her lips before saying, "... Okay."

Eugene helped her up and went to grab her rucksack and pillow, but Ipo insisted on carrying it herself. She needed to act strong if she could not look it. It hurt to move and walking was difficult, but all she had to do was keep looking at the ground and not get distracted by the people that she and Eugene were walking past. He would glance down at her occasionally, feeling like she could fall over. Ipo did want to. She wanted to fall down, dig herself a grave, and die. It wasn't the physical pain that made her feel that way.

They entered the tent and were greeted with the sight of Snafu and Burgin playing cards. "Oh, shit." Snafu said, "Look who's back."

"Jesus, Ipo, you look like shit." Burgin felt the need to comment.

Ipo didn't have the energy to even grunt in their direction. She dropped her stuff on the ground next to her cot and fell down onto it, landing on her back just to save her the trouble of trying to sit down.

"I told you he was sick." Eugene said, sitting down on his cot.

"We thought you were lyin'." Snafu said, observing Ipo. She could see him looking at her out of the corner of her eye and, to block him out, she threw her forearm over her eyes. Ipo was annoyed with herself over the fact that she felt embarrassed that Snafu was seeing her like this. "Where were you?" He asked.

"In the woods." Ipo grumbled, not seeing the harm in telling them.

"... You are a weird motherfucker." Burgin said after a moment of silence. Ipo rolled painfully over onto her side away from them, pulling her pillow over her head to block out the light. Seconds later, there were sounds of cards fluttering to the ground and Burgin yelling, "Hey!" And then something light and warm falling on her. Ipo removed the pillow and looked back to see what the hell happened. Snafu had yanked his blanket out from under the cards that were laying on top of it and laid it on top of Ipo. Everyone just stared at Snafu as he sat back down on his cot, leaning back with his arms crossed over his chest like he didn't just do anything.

"Where's your blanket, anyway?" He asked to get the focus off of himself.

"It's covered in vomit." Eugene said.

"Mahalo." Ipo muttered before laying back down how she was. Instead of pulling the pillow over her head, she used the blanket as her shield from the outside world. It smelled like Snafu, which consisted of cigarette smoke and the cheap soap that they were rationed. It wasn't the best, but it was Snafu's and it relaxed her. As if she needed a reason to hate herself more.

"Your girlfriend's lookin' for you." Burgin said, picking up the cards. Ipo was the only one with a girlfriend in her tent.

"Said she has your Christmas present. Probably syphilis." Snafu said.

Ipo just sighed silently before saying, "Shut up, idiot. Tell her I'm too sick." Her voice was muffled.

"Tell her yourself." Came the amused voice of Annalise from the opening of the tent. Ipo removed the blanket from her head and rolled over onto her back, staring at the nurse like the rest of her tentmates. She was smiling at Ipo until she got closer and saw that she looked a wreck.

"No women allowed." Snafu said loudly.

Funny.

"I'm a nurse, he's sick. I'm doing my job." She said to him as she reached Ipo. Annalise sat down on Ipo's cot, the Hawaiian trying not to flinch as she sat up on her elbows. "Hey." Annalise greeted, placing her hand on Ipo's forehead to check her temperature.

"Aloha." Ipo answered.

"You don't have a fever." Annalise muttered to herself.

Snafu slowly clapped sarcastically, "Wow. Genius."

"Snafu, open your mouth again and I'll knock your teeth in so hard that they'll exit the back of your skull." Ipo snapped. Snafu's face hardened.

"Whatever." He said, throwing his cards down and standing up, "I don't want to watch her play 'Mommy', anyway." He walked out angrily.

"What's his problem?" Annalise asked, getting angry, "I've never even spoken to him before."

"Don't worry about it." Ipo rubbed her back, even though she didn't want to move, "He's just jealous."

"Jealous?" Eugene asked from where he was. It was more of a warning.

"Last time he touched a woman was when he was coming out of his mama. Meanwhile," Ipo grinned, "I have a gorgeous girl pining after me."

Annalise's cheeks flushed, "Pining? I am not pining."

"Uh huh." Ipo said sarcastically, "What's this I hear about a Christmas present?"

"I can't give it to you now." She said, glancing at Burgin, "There's people here."

Ipo immediately looked at her squad leader, "Do you mind, Burgie?"

He rolled his eyes and dropped the cards on Snafu's bed, "Yeah, okay, but don't take too long, Annalise. He's sick, remember?"

"Yes, sir." Annalise smiled. Burgin left and Ipo briefly heard him ask, "Who taught you manners?" To an unseen person just outside the tent.

The two girls looked at Eugene, who shook his head, "I'm not leaving."

"Basically, if you're with me, then you're also with Shark Bait."

"Ipo." Eugene scolded. He didn't know why he did, but it felt inappropriate.

Annalise laughed, "It's alright. I don't mind a package deal." She looked down at Ipo, who wanted Annalise to leave so that she could lay back down, and said, "I set it up so that they'd show your favorite film, Dracula, tonight. It was going to be a surprise but, seeing as how you're not feeling well, I thought I should tell you. They wouldn't play it on Christmas, since it's more fit for Halloween."

"There's no way I'd miss Dracula." Ipo smiled. She wanted to miss Dracula. The want to dig a hole and lie in it was still in her chest.

Annalise ginned, "Great! It starts at eight." She quickly leaned down and pecked Ipo on the lips before Ipo could stop her and bounced up, nearly skipping out of the tent while giving a final wave. The smile fell from Ipo's face and her eyes became empty again. She looked over at Eugene, who looked shocked. He'd never seen Annalise kiss her before.

"Welcome to Sin, Eugene."

The way she said it struck something hard inside of Eugene. Like he had fell into a pit that he'd never be able to come out of. Ipo turned over onto her side so that her back was facing her friend and pulled the blanket back up to her nose, breathing in deeply. She closed her eyes and pretended that the blanket was actually its owner.

Ipo didn't go to dinner, but Eugene brought some food to her. It was as if they had gone through something much worse than war together. He sat at the foot of the cot as she ate, "You can't leave the tent. If you move too much, who know's what'll happen."

"I have to act like I'm okay." Ipo could only eat a tiny bit. She still felt nauseous and that dreadful pink image still flashed in her mind every time she blinked.

"But, you're not." He looked back at her, "And you need to end it with Annalise. I think Snafu gets the point."

"No, he doesn't." Ipo muttered, staring up at the tent's ceiling.

"How do you know?"

"When he stops staring at me like he does... Then, I'll break up with Anna."

Eugene didn't need to ask how Snafu stared at her. It was obvious to anyone who looked hard enough. He stared at her like she was the light at the end of a tunnel and Annalise was the poor soul who stole it from him. Eugene saw the way that Ipo looked back at Snafu, as well. There was longing and guilt. Eugene felt like there was almost nothing he could do to stop what was going between them, but Ipo acted like what he told her to do was law.

Eight rolled around and all of the marines went to the projector on the one side of the island. Eugene kept close to her until Annalise met them half way, lacing her arm through Ipo's. It was unusual for there to be so many outwardly displays of affection between the male and female marines, but no one said anything. Ipo was still hurting in between her legs, but it was just a dull ache now. Her stomach still stung and tensed with each step.

"You sure you're alright?" Annalise asked her as they sat down on a bench close to the front. Eugene sat on the other side of Ipo.

"If I throw up, I'll make sure to aim away from your shoes." Ipo said. Annalise laughed and lightly smacked Ipo's stomach. The Hawaiian flinched, but tried to hide it.

"Stay clear of mine, too, would you?" Eugene asked. Being third wheel was never fun.

The movie started and Ipo tried to enjoy it, she really did. Bela Legosi's accent didn't even make her laugh like it used to. The men made comments about how they wished they had three wives. Under the darkness of the sky, Annalise put her hand on Ipo's thigh and began moving it upward. Ipo immediately grabbed her hand and laced their fingers. She really liked Annalise, but she also wanted to end the romance of their relationship. Their friendship would probably end, too, but at least the guilt would die with it. Annalise pursed her lips, but didn't say or do anything.

It felt like the longest hour of her life. Well, close to it. When it was over, Ipo escorted Annalise back to her tent, even though she didn't want to, and thanked her for the Christmas present. "I'm sorry I don't have one for you, though."

Annalise smiled, "I'm sure I can think of something." She kissed Ipo on the cheek before going inside her tent. Ipo sighed silently, turning to walk back to her tent and nearly running into Eugene.

"Jesus, man." Ipo placed her hand over her stomach, the flinching being too much.

"I feel like you need a chaperon." He said, placing his hand on Ipo's upper back, making her walk.

"What's a chaperon?"

"Someone who accompanies teenagers on dates so they always stay an arm's length apart."

Ipo was quiet for a moment before mumbling, "You need to do your job better."

Eugene looked down at her with raised eyebrows, "I thought you liked kissing girls?"

"I don't want to kiss anyone." She spoke quietly, "... I'm too tired."

Eugene believed her.

However, she knew that if Snafu kissed her, even if she didn't want him to, she'd kiss him back. There was that crying feeling. She stopped walking when she felt something wet run down her cheek. Ipo wiped it and looked down at her wet fingertips in confusion. She never cried when she had that feeling. Was she broken? Suddenly, another drop fell on the back of her head. Ipo looked up at the sky as raindrops began to fall and she felt relief. She and Eugene hurried back to the tent before they could get drenched. In the tent was Snafu, who was already laying in his cot with a brand new blanket draped over him. He glanced at them briefly before looking back up at the ceiling. Ipo faltered in her step for a moment. There was something different, but she didn't know what.

Ipo went to her cot and took off her wet jacket, throwing it on the floor before laying down on her bunk, covering herself with the blanket. To her disappointment, it was a new one. Snafu had taken his back. Eugene laid down in his and they were all silently acknowledging that they were going to sleep. Ipo was so tired in every way that was possible. She closed her eyes and, in her delirious state, she began singing one of her own songs quietly. The small rant after that marine was murdered over his nightmares. She had never sang it out loud before and it sounded much more dramatic in her head. Out loud it sounded too somber. The song bade true. They were all the same. They all needed to come to terms with who they were. Sinners. Fighters.

She abruptly stopped. The air was thick in the tent, the sound of the rain bouncing off of it. Ipo felt like a weight had been temporarily lifted off of her. For several seconds there was a peaceful silence. Until Eugene spoke, "You wrote that after that guy had that nightmare, didn't you?" He recalled what she had said to him. The fierceness on her face. They were all human.

The weight crashed back down onto her and she let out a sigh in response. She still thought about that man every time she fell asleep. Ipo's eyes popped open and she stared at the ceiling momentarily before something caught the corner of her eye. She turned her head and stared back at Snafu. His eyebrows were furrowed and he was scanning from her chin to her hairline. Ipo had déjà vu, thinking that he knew she was a she. He stared at her for a long moment and Ipo didn't have the energy to look away from him. He was too pretty and she had seen too many ugly things for one day. Finally, he looked away, completely turning on his side away from her.

In the middle of the night, something strange happened. She was trapped in a nightmare. It was a dark room with that pink thing lying in the middle of the floor. It started crying, wailing with the power of seven sirens. Ipo covered her ears and whimpered. Suddenly, she felt fingers grazed her neck. She couldn't see who it was because her eyes were squeezed shut and she was too scared to open them. Warm lips lightly touched her cheek and warmth enveloped her, drowning out the sound with a breathy whisper, "Tu me fais mal." The warmth was then gone, but she was in a trance. The black room faded into an ocean and she could see Kauaʻi. It was so close.

Just a drift away.

A week passed and it was Christmas day. Annalise was getting more friendly, Eugene was interfering more, and Snafu hadn't even looked in her direction, let alone spoke to her. Her stomach now only hurt when she twisted the wrong way or when it was touched, which Annalise was doing a lot of. Her kahe didn't hurt, but it was bleeding. When it started, she pulled Eugene aside and frantically asked him if she was dying. It made him uncomfortable, but he told her that it was just her period catching up with itself. So, she had been on the rag for five days. It was a lot easier now that there were other women there. Ipo just went into Annalise's tent more often to steal theirs.

Ipo was eating breakfast with Annalise when Eugene, Burgin, and Snafu came to their table. Eugene sat three letters in front of her as he sat next to her, "I saw ʻAuliʻi's name and didn't want to break tradition."

"What tradition?" Annalise asked. She knew about Ipo's siblings. They had a lot of time to talk about a lot of things.

"Ipo reads his sister's letter out loud." Burgin said, "It's only his and Eugene's tradition."

"Then why are you here?" Ipo asked as she tore open her baby sister's letter.

"Shut up and read the damn thing." Burgin responded.

Ipo snorted at him and unfolded the letter, reading, ""Dear Ipo, English is stupid. It doesn't make sense. Inoke said that Hawaiian doesn't make sense to the white people, so it's even.""

"That's for sure." Eugene said.

""But he doesn't know it very well, either, so..." Ipo's eyebrows furrowed as she read the next part, "Analu has been teaching me.""

"Oh, shit." Eugene stared at Ipo, trying to gauge her reaction. She hadn't thought about Analu in a long time. The last time was a tiny fleeting thought while she was with Snafu in the woods. In fact, he had been replaced entirely by Snafu. Almost everyone had.

"Who's Analu?" Burgin asked.

Ipo slightly shook her head, "Uh, it's a long story." If Annalise wasn't there, she knew what lie she would tell. But, Ipo didn't want Annalise to even think that she had had a serious relationship before, at least not on Christmas. It could cause a lot of problems. Ipo cleared her throat and continued, ""I don't like him. He acts nice, but he isn't nice. I want to hit him, but Inoke says that if I do, I'll turn out like you." That little shit." Ipo interrupted herself, "Just wait 'til I see him again. I'll show him exactly why she should turn out like me."

"I'm going to have to agree with Inoke." Burgin said.

"Me, too." Eugene nodded.

"Third." Snafu was whittling something out of a stick with his pocket knife to avoid looking in their direction.

Annalise made a sound of disapproval, "Why? Ipo's great!" Snafu finally looked up to stare at the redhead along with the other three people.

Before any of her friends could say anything, Ipo grabbed Annalise's hand in both of hers and said, "Anna, I feel like I should warn you that I... have a habit."

"A habit of kicking the crap out of people." Burgin said.

Ipo sighed and hung her head as Annalise asked in shock, "What?"

Burgin jutted his thumb at Snafu, "On the second day of meeting this guy, Ipo broke his nose."

Annalise was quiet for a beat before saying, "Yeah, well, he probably deserved it."

"Fuck you." Snafu said nonchalantly.

"He deserved it." Eugene reassured the nurse.

"Anyway," Ipo picked up the letter and began reading again, ""I told him to shut his fat mouth."" Ipo laughed, "That's my girl."

"You're messed up." Eugene smiled anyway.

Ipo continued reading, ""So, I'm grounded now. It's not like he lets me go anywhere, anyway. The army men scare him.""

"I'd be scared, too." Snafu muttered to himself

"Anyway, that's it." Ipo said, tucking the letter back into the envelope.

"No problems this time?" Eugene asked.

"Analu was the problem." She immediately answered.

"Well, your sister sounds very... tough." Annalise said.

Ipo chuckled, "Good. That means that Inoke hasn't ruined her." She shuffled through her other two letters. It was odd for her to recieve more than two. One was from Inoke and one was from, "Aunty Iolana?" Ipo muttered to herself.

Eugene's neck nearly cracked with how quickly he looked down at the envelope, "You're kidding. I thought you were making her up."

Ipo looked at him, unamused, "Seriously?" He just shrugged. Ipo opened the envelope. It had two separate sheets of paper in it. She began reading the one on top silently to herself. She had to stop half way through. Ipo slapped her hand onto Eugene's shoulder.

He jumped, "What?" He asked, a little panicky.

"Pele went to her house."

"Pele?" Burgin asked, "The Goddess?"

""Dear Ipo," She read, "The other day I had someone knock on my door. I thought it strange. Very few people know where I live, let alone visit, and I knew your siblings were busy in the sugarcane. I wondered who it could've been as I opened the door. On the other side was an old woman- almost as old as me, if you could believe it- and she was shaking hard. I asked her if she was alright. She answered that she had been lost for ages and just wanted a bit to eat. I ushered her in, sat her at my table, and went to fixing her some poi that your sweet brother had made for me. She didn't speak while eating. I thought that maybe she was traumatized. She kept asking for more and I ended up giving her all of the poi, plus some of the vegetables from my garden.

Finally, after the last bite, she smiled and stood, stating that she had enough energy to find her way back home. I escorted her to the door and suddenly she hugged me tightly, whispering in my ear, "They'll be fine; both of them. Ipo will be home soon." As you can imagine, I was so shocked that I couldn't even open the door to let her out. I knew then. It was Pele. You're coming home, Ipo, and I am so glad. You take much better care of me than Inoke, but don't tell him I said that.

Love, Aunty Iolana.

P.S. I've enclosed a letter for your friend.""

The entire table was silent as they stared at Ipo, who had gotten way too into the story. Finally, Snafu was the one to say, "She's a quack."

"No, you don't understand." Ipo said, "Pele does that. She's done it since the beginning of civilization."

"You can't seriously believe that." Eugene said.

"Hey, you're the one who believes that the sky will open up one day and all the good little boys and girls will float up into the heavens." Ipo quickly looked up at Annalise, "No offense, Anna."

"That's okay." She said, "This... Pele stuff is really interesting."

"I agree." Burgin said.

"What do you think she meant by "both of them"?" Eugene asked.

"Both of Sweetheart's personalities." Was muttered from down the table. He was ignored.

Ipo had a hope that she had never had before. She was going home. Prophesied by Pele herself. She momentarily smoothed her thumb over the angry face of her tiki. This had got to be a dream.

"And who's the "friend"?" Eugene asked.

Ipo snapped out of her trance and picked up the second piece of paper. Her jaw dropped when she read the name and she looked at Eugene, "You been talkin' shit, boy."

"What?" He snatched the paper out of her hand and got physically paler when he saw the neat words in English scrawled on the white paper.

It read, "Dear, Eugene. The ocean carries sound better than air. I'd check your pillow if I were you. Sincerely, Aunty Iolana."

Eugene shook his head, "No. You told her. You wrote her and-"

"When? When did I write her? You're attached to my side, I think you'd know if I mailed a letter. Besides, this had to have been sent while we were still on Peleliu."

"This isn't possible." He said.

Ipo grinned at him, snatching the letter from him, "Never piss off a Kupua, Shark Bait." Eugene was clearly in shock.

"This shit is too weird." Burgin said, standing up, "See you guys later." Snafu took that chance to follow him. He wasn't about to stay with the happy family.

"I have to go, too." Annalise smiled and leaned forward to kiss Ipo.

Eugene pulled Ipo toward him slightly to prevent the kiss from happening, "Not a good idea. Marines are watching."

Annalise rolled her eyes, "See you tonight. Merry Christmas, Ipo." She squeezed her hand before leaving.

"Seriously, Ipo," Eugene said, "How did you do it?"

"Do what?" She gathered her letters and stood.

Eugene went with her, "Your Aunty's letter."

"I didn't do anything! Next time you feel the need to roll your eyes at Aunty Iolana, make sure your back is turned away from the Pacific."

"... We're on an island."

"Then, don't fucking roll your eyes." Ipo grinned. She did do it. Eugene had heard the tales of her Aunty back a couple of weeks before they left for Pavuvu and his reaction was very much the same way as it was now. She sent a letter to Inoke before shipping out, telling him to have Aunty Iolana spook Eugene when she could. That old woman loved playing tricks even more so than Ipo.

They got to their tent, where a lone Snafu sat, staring at the tent wall in front of him while lightly pulling at his hair. He'd been doing that a lot lately. His eyes fell down onto his blanket as Ipo and Eugene passed by him, however. Ipo plopped down on her cot and ripped open her final letter from Inoke, which had more than just a letter in it. Ipo dumped it out into her hand, snorting when she noticed Eugene peeking under his pillow.

Inoke had sent a few very small black and white stones from Keʻe Beach. Their house was only a three minutes from that beach and it was where everyone hung out late at night around a fire pit after everyone else had gone. Not that there were a lot of people around there to visit that beach, anyway. Ipo opened the letter and read it. Immediately, Inoke went into making excuses about why Analu was teaching ʻAuliʻi. Ipo understood just fine, but Analu wasn't the only person that her little brother knew who spoke English perfectly. Almost everyone else on Kauaʻi couldn't speak anything but fucking English. Hell, Inoke could've walked ten minutes to the bakery and asked Big Kanunu to teach her and he would've gladly done so.

"Ipo,

I've asked Analu to teach ʻAuliʻi English and before you throw a fit, know that she's going to start speaking like me if someone else didn't intervene. You can hardly understand me when I speak English; I can hardly understand you when you speak English. I needed a middle ground. If it makes you feel better, ʻAuliʻi hates him. I caught her spitting in his drink, the little asshole. Please don't get mad that I called her that, I'm treating her very nicely. Although, I wouldn't have to treat her so nice if someone hadn't decided to abandon us.

I forgot about the makahiki. But, don't worry, everyone else didn't. You were so worried that no one would organize it while you were here that you didn't stop to think that maybe they did want to organize it. We had a big party on Keʻe Beach, roasted pig, and danced. A thing you would be proud of. I found these rocks after I stepped on them while chasing after ʻAuliʻi. They were so smooth that I slipped and the brat got away, trying to kiss that boyfriend of hers. It's so gross.

I love you, stay safe. Oh, and I had a wonderful birthday, thanks for asking. I turned seventeen, but I feel like I'm eighty. I hope your twent-second birthday doesn't make you feel the same.

Love,

Inoke."

She looked down at the rocks and rolled them in her hand. They were incredibly smooth. Ipo picked up one of the white ones, "Shark Bait."

"What?" He was in the middle of taking off his shirt.

Ipo held out the stone, "Merry Christmas." Eugene took it, examing it as she said, "Right off the sands of Keʻe Beach that's in front of my house. My brother slipped on them and immediately thought of me. So sweet of him."

Eugene chuckled, "It's the thought that counts. Thanks. Shouldn't you be giving this to Annalise?"

Ipo waved him off, "I told her that I didn't have anything." She paused for a beat before holding out a black stone towards the cot next to her, "Merry Christmas, Snafu."

"Don't want it." He muttered. He didn't even glance at it.

Ipo stared at him for a moment before drawing her arm back to her. He didn't want it, he wouldn't get it. She felt like Snafu didn't have any feelings for her any more. He's just been avoiding her because he couldn't believe all the things that happened and what was said. He was disgusted every time he even saw her. That thought made her ache, but it shouldn't have. This is what she wanted. It was what was best.

But, like Eugene said, Ipo was a liar.

Later, when they all left the tent to watch A Christmas Carol, Ipo left the rock under Snafu's pillow. She couldn't stop her damn heart and most of the time she wished she could cut it out. Ipo sat with Annalise at the very back during the movie. She was getting tired of not sitting with her friends and making fun of the movie. She did with Annalise, but the girl also insisted on getting touchy. Half-way through the movie, Annalise whispered in Ipo's ear, "Come with me." Before Ipo could object, Annalise got up and yanked Ipo with her.

"Anna," Ipo hissed, looking back at the giant group of marines, "We're not supposed to leave."

Annalise pulled her behind the supplies tent next to a bunch of boxes, "I know what I want for Christmas." She grabbed the sides of Ipo's face and kissed her hard, pressing their bodies together. This was no different from any other time, so how was it a present? Ipo thought that too soon as she felt Annalise grab her belt and start fiddling with it, trying to undo it. Ipo immediately grabbed her hands and broke from the kiss. "What?" Annalise asked, "Don't you want to?"

No, she didn't, but she couldn't say that. She had to act like a man. Ipo sighed and dropped her head against Annalise's neck, thinking of what to say between light kisses on her neck, "... This is your present, not mine."

"Christmas is about giving." Annalise moaned quietly, giving more of her neck to Ipo's mouth.

Ipo was stuck, now. She had to do something. She had to cross that line that Eugene was constantly warning her about. Ipo pushed Annalise back onto one of the stacks of boxes and snaked her hand up Annalise's dress, squeezing her thigh momentarily before rubbing her thumb against the crotch of Annalise's underwear, grazing her clit. Annalise jumped a little, not expecting the sudden contact. Ipo kissed her mouth and kept rubbing her. It was like when Snafu was tickling up her shirt. This was Ipo's reaction. Give them all of the pleasure so they'll forget about her. Ipo slid Annalise's panties to the side and slipped a finger inside of her. Annalise pulled away from Ipo, gasping. Ipo put in another finger and began moving them, grazing against the roof, trying to find that spot that she liked on herself so much while still rubbing her clitoris. Annalise started involuntarily moving her hips with Ipo, letting out quiet whines through her heavy breathing.

"Wow."

Both Ipo and Annalise looked over to where the word originated and Ipo's heart dropped into her stomach.

"Oh my God." Annalise muttered, pushing Ipo away and out of her before standing and smoothing out her dress.

Ipo and Snafu stared at each other. His mouth was sightly parted and his eyebrows were a little raised. All signs of shock, except his eyes. They always say that eyes are the windows to the soul.

Annalise grabbed Ipo's arm, "I'm going to go... Hide under my blankets until the embarrassment goes away." She didn't even kiss Ipo on the cheek on her hurry to get away.

When she left, Snafu finally blinked and turned, walking away. Ipo thought about letting him go, but she couldn't. She jogged after him, "Snafu." He just walked faster, heading in the direction of their tent. "Snafu, stop." He turned into the tent and he stopped walking. It was like he didn't know there was an end or that the tent would've swallowed him whole before Ipo walked in, "Sna-"

"I did what you wanted." Snafu said, still staring at the wall while Ipo stared at his back.

"What?" Ipo asked, not sure she heard him speak.

Snafu turned towards her, looking at the floor in front of her boots, "I did what you wanted and you were supposed to leave her."

Ipo's eyebrows furrowed, confused for a moment before it hit her, "... What other conversations have you listened to?" It was an important question, but Snafu didn't answer her and if she pressed it, he would get suspicious. The fact that he hadn't confronted her about anything meant that he didn't know.

"That's what you said, Ipo, and instead you've been burying your fingers wrist deep in her pussy." He was looking at her now, speaking quietly but angrily while taking a step towards her.

"I had to!" Ipo answered back just as angrily, "She was trying to pull down my pants and I didn't know how else to stop her!"

"How 'bout just telling her to fuck off?" He growled.

"She's a nice fucking girl and I don't want to hurt her just because she's-" Ipo cut herself off, the sudden silence like thunder.

"Because she's what?" Snafu was almost speaking sarcastically. He didn't give one shit about what Annalise was or wasn't.

The words were bubbling up again and she'd never found a way to stop it, "... Because she's not you." Snafu's face looked like someone just slapped him. She felt like someone just slapped her. Ipo needed to find a way to make it less serious. Less like she just undid months of repression. She started rambling, "You fucking idiot. It's not even your fucking business, anyway, where I put my God damn fingers and it's not your business whose "where" I choose to put them. Why don't you just fuck off for once in your stu-"

Snafu grabbed the back of her head and slammed his lips into hers, making her vision go. It didn't last very long before he barely pulled away, "It-" He kissed her again, "Is-" And again, "My-" And again, "Fucking business." He kissed her gently, bringing up his other hand and stroking his thumb against her cheek for a moment before parting from her, resting his forehead against hers.

Ipo's eyes were closed and her brain was jumbled as she mumbled as if she was hypnotized, "It is your business."

Snafu kissed her again, taking advantage, "You'll break up with her."

"I'll break up with her." She mumbled again, barely audible. This was much better than kissing Annalise. This was much better than everything. In this moment, everything that happened the week prior was erased by Snafu's lips.

He kissed her once more, muttering, "And you'll be with me."

"And I'll..." Ipo trailed off, opening her eyes. She couldn't be with him. It wasn't dreamland. Snafu's eyes were the visual representation of the feeling after a storm. They were so beautiful and conflicted. She dropped her head, her forehead hitting Snafu's shoulder.

"No, no, no." Snafu dropped his head, too, his lips grazing the top of Ipo's ear, "We were gettin' somewhere."

Ipo stepped away from him, Snafu didn't let go of her shoulders, however. He wouldn't let her go that far. "What, you want to skip through the middle of camp holding hands? Share a can of baby food and kiss under a mistletoe?"

He grabbed her face again like it was the only thing that would save him from drowning, "We could sneak around. It ain't that hard."

Ipo pulled his hands from her face, "Yes, it is. For you. You stare. You touch. You know this."

"I won't do it no more. Please, Ipo, you don't understand." His head fell forward so their foreheads were touching again, whispering, "I tried so hard, but you're like a disease. You're in me all the time. You won't leave, even after I convinced myself that you were a lying, manipulative, bastard."

"Thanks." She said sarcastically. Her heart was beating so hard that her vision was shaking. This couldn't be happening. It was still planted in her mind that it was the war that was making him think this way and as soon as it was over, he'd snap out of it like it was a nightmare.

"I can't go one more day without you bein' mine." Snafu was begging again. His eyes were drawing her in, trying to convince her.

Ipo gulped, letting go of Snafu's wrists that she didn't know she was squeezing and stepped away from Snafu, keeping a hand on his chest so that he wouldn't follow her, "No, Snafu, I-"

"Merriell."

"What?"

"Merriell's my name."

Snafu didn't look like a Merriell. He looked like a John or a Samuel. Merriell was a gentle name for a gentle person and Snafu was neither. Ipo tested it, seeing how it felt against her tongue, "Merriell..." Snafu grabbed Ipo's hand on his chest and tried to step towards her, but she kept a strong arm, "I won't be yours." Snafu's hand fell from hers and she dropped her own to her side as well.

"Is this just a fuckin' game to you?" Snafu asked louder than he should have, spreading his arms a little.

"Is it to you?" Ipo asked much more quietly and seriously than he did.

Snafu looked surprised, "... No. Are you deaf? Did you not hear anything I just said?"

Ipo rubbed the back of her neck, quiet for a moment before crossing the couple of feet between them and kissing him. Snafu kissed her back greedily, gripping the back of her neck a little roughly to keep her there. But, Ipo pulled his arm away from her and stepped away from him again. Snafu groaned in anger, "Why are you doing this to me?"

"I won't be yours, Merriell, but I won't be anyone else's either."

Snafu pulled at his hair, "What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

Ipo looked behind her at the opening of the tent, feeling shy all of the sudden before facing Snafu again, "It means..." She grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him down, whispering in his ear, "I'm all yours." Ipo let go of him and walked away, wanting to go and catch the end of the movie.

"That doesn't make fucking sense!" Snafu called after her.

Ipo stopped and looked at him. There was a little smile on his face and it made her chest burst. Ipo involuntarily grinned, "Check under your pillow." She walked away from the tent, feeling giddy as she sat down back at her previous spot to watch the last five minutes of the movie. She was absolutely happy until she remembered that she had to break up with Annalise. Then, she remembered that she was pretending to be a male in the Marines. And finally, a nice pain in her stomach kicked the happiness away and she was left with a feelings of guilt, anxiety, and wrongness.

Maybe coming here was a mistake. The whole ideal of her finishing the war that started on her turf to banish the dreams and dread had only caused her dreams to escalate and her dread to mold into a scarier monster. She looked happy after a battle, but it couldn't have been because of the violence. It had to be because the battle was over and she was still alive. Eugene was still alive and Snafu, Burgin, Leyden; they were all still there. It wasn't because she was getting better, like she had previously thought.

She was getting worse.

Ipo was nervous the next morning. After the movie the night before, when they all went back to their tents, Snafu hadn't spoken or looked at her, like he promised. However, Burgin did ask why he was grinning at the ceiling like a madman. "You don't wanna know." Was Snafu's answer. Burgin immediately thought that he was having inappropriate thoughts about a woman, which was technically true. In the middle of the night, Snafu poked her nose until she woke up. Ipo thought that he was going to start kissing her and touching her like she wanted him to. Instead, he pressed his mouth close to her ear and whispered, "When?" Ipo squinted at him with tired eyes and furrowed brows in confusion. He saw that confusion and barely clarified, "Annalise."

When was she going to end it with Annalise. Ipo was irritated that he woke her up for something that needed to be discussed some other time. Eugene had sensitive ears. She pushed Snafu's head away from her and rolled onto her side away from him. It didn't work like she thought it would, seeing as how an ear was still exposed to him. "When, Ipo?" There was something strange in hearing him being serious. It was like a whole other side of him that only came out to play when things became crucial. She didn't think that this was considered crucial, but by the way his hand squeezed her shoulder she could tell that it was very important to him.

"ʻApōpō." She muttered.

"English, Sweetheart."

"'Morrow."

And that was why she was nervous. Her sleepiness and softness for Snafu had her avoiding chow time, hiding quite a few feet away behind a tree and watching the people. She was waiting for Annalise to go in, see that Ipo wasn't there, see that Snafu was, and leave. Then, Ipo would grab her, apologize, end it, and hope that they could still be friends. Ipo wasn't as embarrassed about having had her fingers inside of Annalise as she was when she had Snafu's cock in her mouth. Maybe it was because she liked one a little more than the other.

"Ipo?"

The tap on her shoulder made her startle and spin around. Annalise had snuck up behind her and jumped when Ipo jumped, "Ipo, I've been looking for you everywhere."

"I want to apologize for last night." Ipo blurted out, "About... Snafu."

Annalise's cheeks flushed the color of her hair, "Please, I don't want to think about it. What did you say to him after I left?"

"Told him it wasn't his business." Ipo rubbed the back of her neck, looking around for any people passing by before quickly saying, "We have to break up."

Annalise's face fell and the color drained out of her face. Ipo began to feel the panic set in. Annalise looked more upset than Ipo thought she would. Annalise shook her head a little, "Why? Because of last night?"

"No, no. I'm just..." Ipo gulped, seeing the water in Annalise's eyes, "I'm not as comfortable in this relationship as I thought I'd be."

"We get along great, though." Annalise took a step towards Ipo, grabbing the Hawaiian's hands, "... I love you."

Oh, fuck. This wasn't right. Ipo's jaw and muscles tried to lock up, but she forced herself to pull her hands away from Annalise's, "I'm sorry. I don't feel the same." Still being friends was now off the table. Ipo turned and began walking away.

"Is it because you're a girl?"

A shock went down Ipo like lightning and she froze in her step just for a moment before turning back to look at Annalise with confusion, "What? I'm not a-"

"Yes, you are." Annalise wasn't going to buy into any of Ipo's lies, "I've seen you stealing my pads. I saw you bathing in the ocean the day we met. I've known this whole time."

Ipo glanced around quickly before stepping close to Annalise, speaking quietly, "Keep your mouth shut."

Annalise laughed that pretty laugh that seemed more cruel now. Had it always been that way? "Or what? What would you do if I shouted it out to the whole Marine Corps. right now?"

Ipo couldn't do anything. It would be a man hitting a woman. Too many times has Ipo seen prison in her future, "Annalise, I swear-"

"I do love you, Ipo." Annalise interrupted, "And I will do anything to keep you."

Annalise was insane. Or, she was acting like Snafu. The only difference being that Ipo actually liked Snafu. Ipo couldn't go one fucking week without this shit happening. Her jaw tensed, "I was just dating you to seem normal. I never felt anything for you."

It went right over Annalise's head as she grabbed Ipo's forearms and stepped even closer, their noses almost touching, "Yes, you do. I felt it when you were inside me. We were made for each other. I don't care if you're a woman, I want you."

Ipo ripped her arms away and stepped back, her hands raised by her shoulders, "Don't fucking touch me."

"If you break up with me, I'll tell everyone."

"No, you won't." Ipo challenged her, "You don't want to fuck with me, Annalise. Mind your own damn business, or I'll make you, you crazy bitch."

Annalise's expression changed dark and within a second, she yelled loud enough for curious heads to turn in their direction, "Fine! You're a g-" Annalise didn't get the rest out before Ipo's hand roughly covered her mouth and she pushed Annalise's back against the tree beside them harshly. A 'hey!' was shouted somewhere in the distance and a moment later, Ipo was pulled away from Annalise.

"What the fuck is going on here?" Gunny yelled in Ipo's ear.

"Everything's fine!" Annalise said quickly with a smile that definitely seemed nice, but there was something underneath that reminded Ipo of a lizard, "We were just messing around."

Gunny looked at her suspiciously before looking at down at Ipo, "This true, Ipo?"

"Yes, Gunny. She likes it rough." Ipo tried to ease the threat out of her voice by grinning cockily. There were a few laughs from the crowd that had gathered. Ipo didn't even notice. She was angry and her anger always had a target and her target was smiling against a tree.

"Down, boy." Burgin laughed, patting Ipo's shoulder.

"Well, This is embarrassing." Annalise chuckled. Ipo was sure that the girl didn't even know how to be embarrassed. The redhead leaned forward and pecked Ipo on the cheek, whispering, "See you later." Before almost skipping away.

Ipo subconsciously wiped at her cheek before turning, seeing that Eugene, Snafu, Burgin, and a surprise Leyden all standing behind her. She unclenched her jaw to say, "Hey, Leyden."

"Hey." He answered back, kind of in shock from what was happening.

Ipo walked past them, muttering, "Eugene." As she passed him. Eugene immediately followed her.

"What the fuck...? Ipo has a girlfriend?" Leyden asked.

"You missed a lot." Burgin answered him.

"I'm goin' to see what's up." Snafu said.

Burgin stopped him from moving, "If you were wanted, they would've asked you along. Let the twins have their secrets."

Snafu was trapped with Burgin and Leyden.

Ipo led Eugene into the tent and began pacing back in forth, almost running him over.

"What the fuck, Ipo?" Eugene immediately scolded, "You can't hit girls."

"She's fuckin' lōlō, Eugene! Insane!" Ipo was feeling too angry. She needed to hit something. She picked up her pillow and started smacking it hard against her cot repeatedly. She suddenly stopped, holding her stomach where a sharp pain had spread throughout her abdomen.

Eugene walked over to her quickly and placed a hand on her back, "Hey, sit down." Ipo did as she was told, sitting down on her cot while closing her eyes. Her tunnel vision was starting. "What happened?" He asked.

"She knows."

Eugene involuntarily began rubbing her back, "I don't mean to sound like a dick, but there's a lot of things that she could know about you to make you react like this."

"That I'm a girl." Ipo growled.

Eugene's hand stilled, "... How? What is she going to do?"

Ipo stared down at the ground, "Saw me bathing in the ocean. Knew this whole time. She says she's going to turn me in unless I stay with her."

Eugene's mind wasn't quite wrapping around it as his hand slid from his friend's back and he propped his elbows onto his knees, "... She knows... And she still wants to be with you?"

"Yeah, that's not the point. The point is that I tried to break up with her like you told me to and now she's blackmailing me and I don't know what to do and I swear to God, e ʻoki waho au iā kona maka!" Ipo's anger was starting to boil again.

Eugene rubbed his eyes, "Just calm down. Let's think about it for a minute, okay?" They sat in silence for a few moments. Eugene's thoughts were working overtime. Ipo could be trapped with Annalise or be courtmartialled. He ground his teeth before saying, "We'll tell Burgin tonight and we'll be gone in the morning."

Ipo's head whipped towards him, "What?"

Eugene looked like he did on Peleliu. Hardened and determined. He nodded lightly, "We can't give in to blackmail."

"Why do you keep saying, "we"?"

Eugene looked at her, "I'm not lettin' you go down by yourself. If you leave, then I leave."

Ipo's jaw was slack for a moment, "... No. I'll... I'll do it myself. You'd be pissed off at me forever if you don't get to finish this war." It was silently decided that Annalise wasn't going to get the best of her. Ipo would be sent to jail and the crazy redhead would never get to see her ever again and her plan would be down the shitter. So would Ipo's life, but that was how it was going to end for her, anyway.

They were quiet for a while. Eugene agreed with her. He hated this place, but the only way he wanted out was on the train or in a body bag. Being dishonorably discharged was the last thing he wanted. He didn't want Ipo to be, either, but she did set herself up for this. He nudged her with his elbow, "You won't be in prison that long. It's not like you ki-..." He trailed off. She _had_ killed people. "It's not like you'll get the electric chair." He rephrased.

"Maybe I should." Ipo muttered. The small thought that maybe she should kill herself fleeted through her mind. A couple of months ago, she would've punched herself in the face for thinking about it, but now... now it wasn't such a bad idea.

"Watch your mouth." Eugene said, "If you died, I'd never be able to visit you in jail."

"Why is Ipo going to jail?"

Eugene and Ipo turned to Snafu, who was glancing between them. "Ah, fuck." Ipo accidentally breathed out. Snafu had snuck away when Burgin and Leyden weren't looking.

"This isn't your business, Snafu." Eugene said, standing.

"The fuck it isn't." Snafu walked over to them, "Ipo, what's going on?"

"Snafu, I'm serious, lea-"

"Eugene." Ipo interrupted him. She had to tell Snafu something. Eugene and Snafu stared at her, waiting for her to speak. She swallowed, "Annalise has decided... in order to keep me from leaving her... to blackmail me. So, I'm going to turn myself in because fuck that crazy ass bitch." Ipo said the last part easily with a little smile. She was accepting her fate and the depression was starting to set in.

"Blackmail? What?" Snafu's face fell, "About us? Did she see us last night?"

"Last night?" Eugene asked, his head snapping down to look at Ipo, "I fuckin' told you-"

Ipo stood up, "Eugene, it doesn't matter any more because I'm going to be gone. I could shove my tongue down his throat right now and it won't fucking matter."

"You're not going anywhere." Snafu said, pushing Eugene and Ipo apart since it looked like they were about to get into a fight. He placed his hands on Ipo's shoulders, "I'll deal with it."

Ipo pushed his hands off of her roughly, "You're not doing shit."

"And what would you do?" Eugene asked, "If Ipo can't make her keep the secret, then you sure as hell won't be able to."

"It's my ass on the line, too." Snafu did look a little panicked.

"No, it's not." Ipo ran her hand through her hair, "I'm going to say that I'm a homosexual." Lies were always so much easier on her tongue. Really, though, she was going to tell Burgin that she was a woman. She just needed to satiate Snafu while telling mostly the truth.

"But, you're not." Both Eugene and Snafu said at the same time.

"Obviously." Ipo said, falling back onto her cot, staring up at the tent ceiling.

"What the fuck?" Snafu asked. Ipo felt his fingers graze the accidental exposed skin above her pants' waist line. Ipo smacked his hand hard and sat up quickly. In addition to Ipo smacking him, Eugene had pushed him away. Snafu held his hands up in surrender, "What happened?"

Ipo and Eugene looked at each other for a moment before she cleared her throat and stood, lifting her shirt up to reveal the entirety of the injury, "Shark Bait said that I couldn't climb a palm tree. I did, but... y'know." Ipo looked at Eugene, "How's it look, doctor boy?" That was the reason she went ahead, so that Eugene could check it out.

"It looks nasty." Snafu covered his mouth, staring at the bruise with furrowed eyebrows, "How are you still alive?"

Eugene glanced uncomfortably at Snafu before looking at the bruise. The edges were fading to yellow and the dark purple was turning spotty with lighter purple. He pressed along her abdomen, "Still hurt?"

"Stings."

"Hold on." Snafu finally had a lightbulb flash above his head, "You weren't sick at all!"

"He didn't want to go to the medical tent." Eugene answered quickly before speaking to Ipo, "There's still no swelling. You're in the clear."

Ipo dropped her shirt, "Maika'i."

"I don't want you to go." Eugene and Ipo looked at Snafu. His face was serious again and he spoke defiantly. It was uncomfortable for Eugene. "You have to stay. If you go, then I go."

Ipo scowled, "What's wrong with you people? Learn to detatch yourself."

"Fuck that." Snafu scoffed.

"I agree with Snafu." Eugene said, "Either we figure it out or we all go."

"Why would you go?" Snafu asked.

"Because he's a dirty little secret keeper." Ipo answered, sitting down on her cot. Almost in unison, Snafu and Eugene sat down on either side of her. They were all trying to think through the hardening despair.

"What if you scare her like you did all the men in bootcamp?" Eugene suggested.

"ʻAʻole. If I stand over her with a knife, she'd probably beg me to shove it in her-"

"Okay." Eugene interrupted her, "No need to get graphic."

"None of this would've happened if you didn't want to make me jealous." Snafu grumbled.

Ipo looked at him, "I wasn't trying to make you jealous, I was trying to get you off my back. Jesus, you're just as bad as she is. Is there something in the water? A 'Become Obsessed With Ipo' germ?"

"Oh, fuck you!" Snafu shoved her into Eugene, "I'm not fuckin' obsessed and I ain't like her!"

Ipo shoved him back, ""Not fuckin' obsessed" my ass!"

"Will you two shut up and act like adults?" Eugene snapped, "I will separate you two."

"Yes, mom." Snafu said.

"I just don't know what to do." Ipo stood and began pacing back and forth in front of them, "There is nothing I could do. I could, what? Do what she wants?"

"Yeah."

"No."

Eugene and Snafu spoke at the same time. Snafu and Ipo stared at Eugene, not believeing what he just said. "Are you fucking insane?" Snafu asked him, "You want that nurse to play around with Ipo like that?"

"No." Eugene answered before looking up at Ipo, "You continue dating her like she wants, but don't give her anything. Avoid her at all times."

"And what if she decides that I'm not 'boyfriend' enough for her? Then, I'm gone."

"You really know how to pick them." Snafu snorted.

"... I picked you, idiot." That's why she started dating Annalise and that's why she tried to break up with Annalise. Because she kept picking Snafu for some dumb reason.

Snafu blinked at her, his jaw slack, "... Say that again."

"Please, don't." Eugene mumbled.

Ipo rubbed the back of her neck. Snafu needed to watch himself around Eugene. Or, at least for the next few hours. After Ipo is gone, Snafu would learn the real reason. How would he react? Would he be angry or relieved? Eugene would probably tell her all about it in a letter addressed to her prison cell.

"Ipo?" Eugene asked. Apparently, she'd been quiet for a while.

She glanced up from the ground that she didn't know she was staring at and looked at them, "I'm going to tell Burgin that I'm queer and you two are staying here." It was that tone of voice that she never used very often that made people do what they're told.

"Ipo, you didn't join just to get kicked out." Eugene said.

"Things happen." Ipo shrugged nonchalantly. However, she felt like throwing up and crying at the same time.

"And you're just going to accept that?" Eugene asked. He was starting to look angry.

Ipo hummed, "Maybe when I find a way to control the universe, I'll be able to reject the 'things happen' ideology."

"Now isn't really time to be a sarcastic asshole." Eugene glared at her.

"Sledgehammer, can you leave us alone?" Snafu finally spoke. He was staring down at his fidgeting fingers.

Eugene stared at Snafu before looking up at Ipo. She didn't really want to be left alone with Snafu at the moment. She didn't want him to talk her out of it or control her with hypnotic kisses. However, Ipo nodded at Eugene. He didn't look like he wanted to leave, but he stood up, "I'll be on the beach. Find me when you're done and, please, try to keep your tongue out of his throat." He muttered the last part, but Snafu was still able to hear. Eugene then left them alone.

Snafu didn't look up from his fingers, even when Ipo sat down next to him. Ipo didn't know if he was collecting his thoughts or what, but the silence made her uncomfortable, so she said, "Try not to get that upset about it."

Snafu scoffed, "Try not to get upset?" He looked at her, "You're right. I am obsessed with you. It's... disgusting. The amount of my time that's spent thinking about you is stupid. It drove me insane when I had to ignore you and I don't know what'll happen when you're gone, so let me say what I'm going to say."

"Okay." Ipo said quietly. Her heart ached from the pain and anger in his voice.

"And I'm not gonna say it in French, neither, because if I'm never goin' to see you again, I'm not going to be a coward about it."

"Okay."

"I love you."

That was the second time that day she was told that, but her body's reaction was quite different. Her entire body suddenly froze and tingled and her eyesight was blocked by a blinding bright white that faded within a second. She stared with wide eyes down at the ground, trying not to pass out from the amount of blood that was quickly being spread throughout her body. Her ears craned and tried very hard to listen to Snafu's faint words that weren't faint to anyone else but her.

"There, I said it. Now maybe I can stop thinking it everytime I fucking look at you. Don't even think about sayin' it back 'cause I know you don't. That's it. I'm done. I'm gonna leave now and hope I don't run into your girlfriend or I swear to God, I'll choke the life out of her." Snafu stood and marched past Ipo's still body. She wasn't able to stop him from leaving the tent.

Did that just happen? It happened. Snafu said he loved her. Almost mowed her words over to get it out of his mouth. He felt that way for a long time, apparently. Did she love him back? No, because she had to think about it. If you love someone, you don't need to think about it, you already know it deep down to the marrow of your bones. There were so many questions she wanted to ask him. Like, did he feel it that deep? Did he have to think about it? When did he realize? Why? Why did he love her? It obviously wasn't a choice, since he found all of this unpleasant. Ipo only had one question for herself. Could she love him?

Abso-fucking-lutely.

Maybe that was Snafu's plan to get her to stay. Tell her that he loved her and her sickly heart would cling tight to their aloha kapu. It wasn't going to work because she'd rather be miserable than to basically be held captive by a red haired demon. She didn't want Snafu to be miserable, but he already was by being in love with a man. And she wasn't even a fucking man. Ipo wished that she was in that moment so at least one thing would be less complicated. One less lie to tell. Ipo's muscles were starting to ache from how tense she was. She was supposed to go to Eugene. That was another reason she didn't love Snafu. Although spending her last moments with both of them would be nice, she'd still rather spend a majority of it with Eugene. She did love Eugene. He was her brother now.

Ipo stood, her legs shaking. She placed a hand on her forehead to anchor herself back into her body. She had felt like she was floating away. Ipo got her legs to start moving and she left the tent, the sun seeming like it was a few notches too bright. She didn't register any of the people she passed by. Snafu had fucked her up. Merriell Shelton had body slammed her with words that broke her entire rib cage and a few sharp bones were having fun stabbing her bleeding heart.

Ipo made it onto the beach and saw Eugene sitting close to the tide, watching the ocean come and go. She sat down next to him, her legs grateful.

"What'd he say?" Eugene asked.

Ipo was going to say, but the words got caught in her throat, so she just said, "... Personal things." Her voice was as shaky as her legs.

Eugene looked at her, "... Are you nervous?"

"Yeah." She answered immediately.

"I don't know what I'll do without you." Eugene said, "You've made me do some fucked up things, but... I wouldn't do them for anyone else. Well, maybe Sid."

"I don't think Sid will need an abortion any time soon." It was supposed to be a joke, but it was still too raw of a nerve.

"You're crying." Eugene said. It was still a strange thing to see.

"Can I be a girl for a moment?" Ipo asked, sniffing a little.

"You're a girl at every moment." Eugene smiled. Ipo let out a little laugh that sounded lighter than her normal laugh. Or, the regular laugh was the fake one. It was always deep and muffled, but now it was much more like her voice when she was excited. Ipo leaned her head against Eugene's shoulder and he wrapped his arm around her shoulder. They both stared out into the ocean as the tears silently fell onto his shirt.

"Where do you think they'll send me?"

"To a women's prison."

"In Hawaiʻi?"

"... I hope so." Eugene rubbed her arm, "But, write me so I know where to send my letters to."

"How do you think Snafu's going to react?"

"I'm bettin' that he'll throw something. Punch someone. He'd be mad that you didn't tell him."

"What would you do?"

"Tell him that I knew and rub it in his face." Eugene grinned down at her. Ipo laughed. There needed to be humor. There wasn't enough of it. It was how souls battled the bad things and there was too much bad. "When are you going to do it?" Eugene asked.

Ipo sighed deeply, "After everyone's asleep, I'll wake up Burgin."

"I'll wait up."

"No, don't do that."

"I won't be able to sleep, anyway."

"I'm thinking," Ipo propped her chin up on his shoulder, "That I'll try to scare Annalise afterwards, anyway."

They grinned at each other. Not because Eugene enjoyed terrorizing people, but because Ipo did and it was going to be her very last night there. She might as well enjoy it. Ipo's tears dried up pretty quickly and she was back to being her. It was lunch time and Eugene told her to just sit with Annalise to placate her until night fall. Ipo did. She sat across from the nurse with her arms crossed, staring passed her chattering head. Annalise seemed fine, like nothing happened. Ipo wasn't feeling rage; she was too busy thinking about how she was going to tell her squad leader. She was past Annalise's game.

"Ipo." Snafu walked up to the table, "Work detail."

She looked up at him. His fists were clenched by his sides and he was staring down at her with anger hidden behind his careless eyes. Ipo slowly stood, the sounds of his confession ringing in her ears. She hadn't seen him until now, whether it was because Ipo was avoiding being on the main part of the camp or because Snafu was embarrassed, it was unknown. Snafu put his hand lightly and unnoticeable on the middle of Ipo's back to get her to move faster, but her wrist was grabbed.

"Ipo." Annalise smiled, her grip tight, "Can I have a kiss?"

Ipo's jaw tensed so hard that she thought her teeth might break. She placed her hand on the back of Annalise's neck and as Ipo kissed the top of her head, she pressed her nails hard into Annalise's flesh. She didn't even flinch, but a little blood was definitely drawn. Ipo stood straight and walked ahead of Snafu, not looking back as she exited the cafeteria. She didn't see, but the look that Snafu gave Annalise could have been enough to put the nurse in the ground.

Ipo stopped walking when she heard Snafu next to her and looked up at him, "What work detail?"

"My work detail." Snafu put his hand back onto her back and made her start walking again.

"What?"

"She looked too happy and you looked... too unhappy." Snafu muttered.

"A side-effect of being blackmailed." Ipo answered.

Snafu lead her into their tent, "How can you be so uncaring about it?"

"Oh, I care. I care a lot. There's no use in showing it."

"Lay down." Snafu suddenly ordered.

"What?" She'd been asking that a lot.

Snafu rolled his eyes and grabbed her hand, basically flinging Ipo onto his cot. He plopped down next to her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her down to lie next to him. Ipo tried to sit up, "Someone can walk in-" Snafu slammed her back down and draped almost half of his body onto her.

"I don't care." Snafu snuggled his nose into her cheek, closing his eyes.

"You will once you're sharing a cell with a guy named Papa Bill." She was enjoying his closeness immensley, however.

Snafu chuckled, "I've never met a Papa Bill."

"Just wait. You'll know him real well soon enough."

Snafu brought up his hand and stroked his thumb along her cheek, "I want to know you real well."

Ipo turned her head to look at him, their noses touching. Did someone have to know the basic facts about a person to know them? Did it matter if he knew her gender? She wanted to know Snafu, too. Except, it didn't matter any more. She was leaving. Ipo leaned forward and pecked Snafu on the lips quickly, watching his reaction. He seemed to sink deeper into the cot as his face relaxed.

Ipo raised her hand and ran her hand through his hair, trailing her fingers down the side of his neck, "... I don't love you, Merriell, but I could."

Snafu groaned, "Why the fuck did you have to say that?"

"Shut up." Ipo elbowed him, "I'm trying to let you know how I feel."

Snafu opened his eyes, "Let's hear it, then."

Ipo swallowed. It was a lot easier when his green storms weren't aimed at her. "I... think I will love you."

"Any chance of that happening before tomorrow morning?"

"I wish."

Snafu kissed her softly and slowly and she forgot everything that happened. She was on a cloud where only her and Snafu existed. He pulled away from her, "Can you love me in another way?" He whispered, his fingers slipping under her shirt to graze the skin above the waist of her pants. Ipo's hand shot down and gripped his wrist harshly. Snafu read the panic in her eyes well. He placed a hand on her cheek, "Okay. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

Ipo hugged him around the middle and buried her face into his neck. "Sorry." Was muffled.

"Don't be." He said. He pushed her away and kissed her quickly. Snafu stared into her eyes, "... I lo-"

Ipo's eyes widened as she heard voices coming near the tent and she shot up, barely making it onto her own cot and grabbing her Poe book as Leyden, Eugene, and Burgin made their way into the tent, laughing and joking. Snafu grunted, rolling onto his back in irritation.

"I've been gone for a month and you're already engaged to a nurse?" Leyden asked, holding his arms out in question.

"Hey, man, you can have her." Ipo grinned at him. It was nice seeing him walking around like he used to.

"Trouble in paradise?" Burgin asked, swiping Snafu's legs off of his cot so he could sit down before pulling a deck of cards out of his pocket.

"That's their business." Eugene said quickly.

Leyden let out a low whistle, "Must be bad."

"Someone should put you back in the sick bay." Ipo said.

"Oh, please do." Leyden sat on a cot across from Ipo, "Anything to see that girl of yours bend over."

"You're sick." Eugene sat down on Ipo's cot, making her scoot over and even then their sides were uncomfortably squished together.

Leyden sighed while looking at them, "That's what was bugging me. The whole time during lunch, you guys weren't attached! Amazing what that surgeon could do, huh?"

"You're annoying." Ipo said. Eugene grabbed her rucksack from under her bed and started digging around in it. She smacked his arm, "You can't go through my things, asshole."

Leyden borderline giggled, muttering to himself, "That accent."

"You hidin' something?" Eugene asked, pulling out her journal.

"I'm about to hide your amputated hands in there." She threatened.

"Play nice, you two." Burgin said. Every time she looked at him she was reminded of the secret he would know in a few hours.

Eugene opened the journal, not trying to read anything- not that he could, anyway- as he turned to a blank page. He wrote using her pencil, " _Are you okay_?"

Oh. This again. Ipo took the pencil, replying, " _I feel like dying_." It was true. Easier to write than to say.

" _Your Aunty said that you'll return home just fine_."

" _Oh, so you believe her now_?"

"Are you two seriously passing notes?" Leyden asked.

"Want to share with the class?" Snafu grinned.

"Sure." Ipo said cheerfully, "Eugene said, "Snafu's dick is so small that the only thing it could choke is an ant."" She grinned at Snafu as the others laughed.

"Fuck you." Snafu smiled back.

"He's the one who said it, not me." Ipo defended herself, earning a smack on the back of her head from her red headed friend.

"Why do you have lie all the time?" Eugene accidentally let slip out of his mouth.

"You're right, I'm sorry." Ipo said, giving Eugene a warning look, "That's not what it says... It's _Leyden's_ dick, not Saf's."

"You little fucker." Leyden stood up and grabbed his junk, "I'll show you how small it is!"

Ipo laughed, "No, thanks. I don't think you need to prove the tininess of it."

"Yeah, whatever." Leyden plopped back down.

Eugene held out the pencil for Ipo to take. He had written, " _What are you going to do to Annalise_?"

Ipo thought about it for a moment. There were lots of things she wanted to do to Annalise. She wrote, " _Cut out her eyes._ "

"Jesus Christ." Eugene muttered, shutting the journal an stuffing it back into Ipo's bag.

She kicked harshly at his legs, "Get the fuck off my bed."

Eugene swung his arm around her shoulders, "I'm your friend. Don't you want to spend time with me?"

Ipo shoved him off, making him fall onto the ground, "You're clingy."

"You need to get a girlfriend, Sledgehammer." Burgin chuckled.

"He has one. His name is Ipo." Leyden reminded him.

"Fuck off, Sweetheart's mine." Snafu said. It sounded like a joke, just like everything else, but it made Ipo's heart beat faster.

"Are you two going to fight for me?" Ipo asked, "My money's on Shark Bait."

"You're not worth it." Eugene said, sitting down on his bunk.

"Oooh," Leyden sucked on his teeth, "That's gotta hurt."

"I'd fight for you." Snafu said.

"Thanks, Snafu. I appreciate it."

"You two want to be left alone, or..." Burgin trailed off.

"Yeah. Get the fuck out." Snafu said.

"Shut up, Snafu." Eugene said. All the talk must have been hitting too close to home.

It was pretty quiet after that. Dinner came and went. Ipo didn't go. She said that she was feeling residual sickness from the week before when in reality it was new sickness from what was going to come. Night fell too quickly and life suddenly felt too short. She was acting like she was going to die, but she was fine. She wasn't going to get hurt by doing this. Leyden was snoring, which was a sound she didn't miss. Her heart was beating too hard and she wondered how she could still be alive from how hard it's been beating lately. Ipo breathed deeply before sitting up and throwing the covers off of her.

"Good luck." She heard whispered at her. Ipo nodded at Eugene before standing up. She expected her legs to be wobbly like they had been with Snafu, but they weren't. Ipo began walking towards Burgin's small tent just on the outskirts of the main one. She stopped outside of it, her hand hovering over the tan flap. Her hand was steady, too. Ipo felt outside of herself as she grabbed it and quietly pulled it open, stepping inside. Staring down at a sleeping Burgin made her feel strange and creepy, but she didn't want to wake him up. Ipo clenched her fists momentarily to try to toughen herself up before crouching next to his head and saying quietly, "Burgin."

He jerked awake. It was a very dangerous thing to do; wake a man who's been to war. "Ipo? What is it?"

"Ssh." She put her finger to her lips, "You're going to wake everyone up."

Burgin looked extremely confused and tired, but whispered anyway, "You better have a good reason to be in my tent, Private."

Ipo's heart had slowed to regular, "I'm going to explain this from the beginning."

"Explain what?" Tired Burgin was also Snappy Burgin.

Ipo sighed quietly, "Annalise is blackmailing me to keep me in a relationship with her, so I thought I'd tell you and get sent to prison anyway because fuck that crazy bitch." Burgin's eyebrows were furrowed and he didn't say anything in the pause that she gave him, so she sighed again, louder this time, "... I'm a... I'm a g-" Burgin's hand shot out and covered her mouth, muffling her as well as surprising her.

"I know."

"What?" Ipo tried to ask, but she was still muffled.

He sighed, "I've been in the Marines a lot longer than you have. My squad is my family." He removed his hand and sat up, "This sort of thing happens all the time."

"It does?" Ipo muttered more to herself.

"All the time." He repeated, "But, no one says a thing. We protect each other."

"Wait, how do you know?" Ipo asked. She wasn't keeping up with the conversation.

Burgin scoffed quietly, "Please. Your voice. The way you stand. You never bathe with the rest of the guys. Plus, you and Sledge are always goin' off together and touchin' each other. It's not that hard to figure out. Like I said, a lot of guys here are gay. No one says anything."

"Wh-"

"Ipo, I'll deal with the nurse. You're not going to prison. I'll keep my mouth shut. I watch out for my family. But, if you tell me, I have to report you."

Ipo's jaw was slack. He thought she was a homosexual. Even more, he thought she was fucking Eugene. However, he was blessing her. Protecting her. If she had gotten the rest of the word out, would he have done the same thing? Probably not. Ipo would take what she could get. "Than-"

"Don't mention it. Seriously. Don't mention it. Now, get out of my tent before I make you scrub oil drums from dusk 'til dawn." Burgin patted her shoulder before laying back down.

"Yes, sir." Ipo muttered.

"And don't call me 'sir'."

"Yes, Burgie." Ipo stood and left the tent. She stood outside for a moment, collecting herself for a moment. She wasn't going anywhere. She was staying. Ipo grinned to herself. Everything was fine. Her grin spread even more. She had to let Annalise know that she shouldn't have fucked with her. The feeling of power was addicting and it ran through her blood. Ipo walked quietly to the nurse's tent, fiddling with the hilt of her knife on her belt all the way. It reminded her of the girls she used to go to school with who would tease her of her old ways. It reminded her that everything was a power struggle and Ipo always made a point to end up on top.

Ipo quietly pulled open the door just enough for her to slip in. There were so many girls snoozing away; the only illumination being the moonlight through the screen door. Her bare feet against the makeshift wooden floor made her like a floating phantom as she trained her eyes on the bed she needed. On the strange woman who slept with her head at the foot of the bed and whose hair filtered the light like Heaven's rays. Such a contrast from her personality. Ipo squatted down, her face two inches from Annalise's. Ipo slowly took out her knife, watching the rise and fall of her chest to make sure she stayed sleeping until Ipo decided otherwise.

Ipo hovered her hand over Annalise's face for a moment before closing it over her mouth and nose, making sure no noises could be made as she pressed the tip of her knife to the nurse's jerking body. "Ssh." Ipo shushed into her ear quietly, pressing the knife harder against her pale skin, drawing blood, "This is what you want, right? Me with you." Annalise's body actually relaxed and that just made Ipo angry. She refused to let her breathe. "You know what I want?" Ipo lightly dragged the blade across her neck, pausing when she could feel the fast pulsation of Annalise's jugular vibrate up the blade, "... An eye."She suddenly brought the blade up and stabbed just below Annalise's lower eyelid, ripping the blade downward. It wasn't that deep, but there would forever be a scar. No damage to her eye at all. Annalise'd body flailed in panic and Ipo needed to get out of there before anyone woke up.

Ipo shot up and out of the door before Annalise's scream could sink in to the other nurses' dreams. She lightly dodged in between tents, hearing one of the nurses open the screen door to looked for this alleged assailant that Annalise was shouting about. She needed to get out of the area entirely. Ipo felt no regret. She rarely did when it came to things like this. In fact, she felt good. Real good. Ipo walked into the tent, trying to calm her breathing, and saw that Eugene was sitting on her cot.

"What happened?" He whispered.

"Go to sleep, Gene." Ipo muttered.

"Ipo."

"Go to sleep." She said. Eugene stared up at her before standing. He suddenly hugged her and she understood why Burgin would think that they were together. But, they weren't. They just had a lot of secrets between them and were qualified as best friends. Platonic. Eugene let her go and went back to his own bed. Ipo quickly wiped the blood off of her knife using the inside of her rucksack before laying down and closed her eyes. They popped back open, however, her blood still rushing in her ears and stood, taking the one step it took to get to Snafu. She leaned down, kissing him hard on the mouth. He didn't jump like she thought he would. Instead, he gripped the back of her hair and kissed back just as intensely.

Ipo grabbed his arm and pulled it away from her as she stood back up. Snafu tried to follow her mouth, but she pushed him back down and turned, getting back onto her own cot with a small smile on her face.

Ipo fell asleep easily that night.

They were woken up in the morning by reverie. It was annoying and she had yet to get used to it. She didn't want to get used to it. But, before the last note could even die out, Ipo was being shaken. She smacked the hand just because she could. She squinted her eyes open and sat up on her elbows, looking at Eugene, "What?"

He looked incredibly tired and irritated, "What do you mean 'what'?"

Ipo remembered, her eyebrows raising, "Oh." She looked glanced around the tent, seeing the Leyden had ignored the trumpets and Snafu was slowly rising. She looked back up at Eugene and spoke quickly, "Burgin thinks I'm gay and that you're my lover and he's going to take care of Annalise and I'm staying."

"What?" Eugene asked, "I don't want to be your lover." He grumbled the last part.

Ipo blinked at him, "Yes, Shark Bait, that's exactly the part you should be concentrating on."

"I'm very glad that you're staying." He sat down on the cot next to her and pulled her into a hug.

"You've been hugging me a lot lately." Ipo grunted, awkwardly patted Eugene's back.

"And you should stop." A gravelly tired voice came from beside them.

Eugene and Ipo separated to look at Snafu, "Do you want a hug?" Ipo asked, opening her arms to him.

"Why would I? Sledgehammer here is the one you're sneakin' around with."

Eugene rolled his eyes and stood, muttering as he picked up his shirt, "He's jealous."

"Of what?" Ipo snorted, "You?" She looked at Snafu, who was shoving on his boots, "Him?"

Snafu just stood and went to leave. Ipo grabbed his hand, "What's your problem?"

Snafu pulled his hand away, raising his eyebrows, "Nothing." His face was careless in a way that said he was hiding anger. Why was he angry? Snafu turned and walked out of the tent, greeting Burgin before sticking a tooth brush in his mouth.

Ipo looked up at Eugene, "What the fuck?" Eugene just shrugged. Ipo got off of her cot and put her boots and jacket on before brushing her teeth. She had been happy and relieved, but now she was concerned about Snafu. Wasn't this what he wanted? For someone who said to have loved her, he was acting real disappointed about her staying.

After Burgin had finally forced Leyden to get up, they went to eat breakfast. Burgin wasn't acting any different, but he said he knew something was up for a while so he wouldn't be acting differently than before.

"Too fuckin' early." Leyden muttered.

"I can break your legs and then you can sleep all you want in the sick bay." Burgin stated.

"Please do." Ipo said as she grabbed a can of whatever mush she could as well as a fork, "His snoring is driving me insane."

"You are one annoying motherfucker, you know that?" Leyden told her.

"You're not any better." Eugene informed him. They all went to the table that Snafu had occupied by himself and Ipo hesitated, her eyes sliding over to Annalise. She had stitches and a bandage on her neck and was staring at her like she was still expecting Ipo to sit down in front of her.

"Sit down, Ipo." Burgin said, not even looking up from his metal tray. Ipo sat down across from him. It was a weight lifted to be around her friends. Ipo didn't realized it at the time, but just hanging out with Annalise had put a dampening on her soul. Pretending to be romantically attracted to someone was exhausting.

"What happened to her face?" Leyden asked.

"Heard a commotion last night and went to look." Burgin said, "Apparently, she scratched herself during a nightmare, screaming about someone attacking her."

"Probably did it on purpose." Ipo said, eating like she was a professional liar, "To get my attention." Eugene knew, though. She had never actually gone as far as cutting people during bootcamp. She's changed.

"It's over between you and the nurse already?" Leyden complained, "I just got here."

"Shut up, Leyden." Snafu said a little angrier than he should of.

"What's wrong with you?" Burgin asked, "Land crab climb up where the sun don't shine?"

"It wasn't a land crab. It was his head." Eugene said.

"I couldn't sleep last night." Snafu said. He needed to have some excuse.

"Probably because of Leyden's snoring." Ipo grinned, "See? We've come whole-circle."

"It's 'full-circle', you fuckin' islander." Burgin said.

"Was that supposed to be an insult?" Ipo asked.

"I think it was." Eugene answered.

"It wasn't a very good one." Ipo smiled widely at Burgin.

"Not at all." Eugene played along.

"You two are disgusting." Leyden said.

"We're twins." Eugene and Ipo said at the same time, surprising each other.

Snafu shook his head, "This is gettin' too weird."

"I agree." Burgin chimed.

"Ipo?" She had been having such a good time that she didn't even notice the bane of her existence walk up to the table, "Can we talk?"

There was an awkward silence that consisted of Leyden making a 'ooh' as well as Snafu's quiet scoff. Ipo tried not to feel incredibly angry by the fact that Annalise even existed. She didn't know if Annalise made up the nightmare story or if the other nurses did, but either way, no one would believe her if she said that Ipo did it now. Burgin stood, placing his hand on Annalise's shoulder and guiding her away from the table as he said, "Annalise, as protocol, Marines and nurses shouldn't be together. I was lenient since Ipo had just gotten back from Hell on Earth, but now's the time to get serious again." Burgin stopped their walking when they were far enough away from Ipo.

"No!" Annalise suddenly shouted, shoving Burgin, "I want to talk to Ipo!"

Burgin held his hands up in surrender as everyone in cafeteria turned to look at them. He stepped closer and spoke quietly so that no one could hear, "You have nothing to talk to Ipo about and you have nothing to talk to me about, understand?"

"Psycho bitch!" Was shouted in her direction by Snafu, who was grinning. It seemed that her public humiliation cheered him up. Annalise looked at him, her eyes clearly starting to water before she looked at Ipo's back. Her jaw tensed momentarily before she stormed out. Snafu clapped loudly, "Yeah!"

"Snafu." Ipo snapped at him. That seemed to rain on his parade.

Burgin sat back down, "You weren't kidding."

The rest of the morning was spent doing chores, being glared at by Annalise as she stalked her, and staring at Snafu, trying to figure out what his problem was. Ipo wasn't going to prison. Yet. She could still be found out somehow, so it's not like she could let loose. Leyden kept asking what Annalise did to be considered crazy and each time Ipo would just point off into the distance where the nurse was talking to one of her friends while frequently glancing in their direction.

"But, she's hot, though. Please tell me you at least got some of-"

"Leyden, will you shut up?" Eugene snapped as they scrubbed barrels, "He's told you a dozen times."

Ipo felt she should give Leyden something. Like a man would, "Nope. Only got my fingers in her before she turned into a demon."

"Are you serious?" Eugene asked her.

"Saw it myself." Snafu spoke for the first time in a while, "Walked in on 'em on Christmas."

Leyden gave a low whistle, "You must have some fuckin' magic fingers, Ipo."

"Your mother tells me so."

"Sure it wasn't my father?" Leyden asked.

"Your dad's queer?" Ipo immediately asked. Leyden's face dropped. He didn't exactly expect the joke to backfire.

Later on, before dinner, Eugene walked into the tent to find Snafu laying on his cot, staring up at the ceiling and fumbling with the small black stone that laid on his stomach. "Hey, Snaf." He cautiously greeted, knowing the bad mood that he'd been in all day. He had a feeling that he knew why, but he didn't know what to do or say about it.

Snafu glanced at him, "Where's your twin?"

Eugene sat down on his bunk, "He's with Gunny, devising up new training drills. Apparently, we're starting again soon. And, apparently, we have to live up to Ipo's standards." Snafu just grunted. Eugene wiped his mouth, thinking of a way to bring up what needed to be brought up. It wasn't his business and he and Snafu weren't the best of friends, but they were still friends. "You saw them? On Christmas? That must've... I mean, it had to be... I'm sorry that you had to... see that."

"Yeah, at least it wasn't you." Snafu grunted.

"What do you mean?"

"At least you didn't see it; what with you being Ipo's lover and all."

Eugene let out a shocked laugh, "What?"

Snafu sat up, anger clear on his face, "I wondered, "Why would Burgie think that Sledge is sneakin' around with Ipo?" And I realized that there are a lot of reasons why he would think that."

"Snaf-"

"Ya'll are always touchin' each other, joking around. Ipo says he's not queer, but you said it yesterday. You said that he's always lyin'. So, who's to say he's not fucking you behind everyone's back? Behind my back?"

Eugene couldn't believe what he was hearing. He clenched his teeth before saying, "You're right."

Snafu shook his head, muttering, "I fuckin' knew it."

"No, you don't know shit." Eugene said, "You're right. We're always touching and joking with each other because we're friends. I have done and will continue to do shit for Ipo that I wouldn't do for nobody else because we are blood brothers and I'm not about to stop that just because you're stupidly possessive. Ipo lies, yeah, but not to you. He's so infatuated with you that I think he'd shove a firecracker up his ass and light it if you asked him to. I am not a homosexual and, as far as I know, you're the only man that Ipo's ever had any sort of feelings for, but you're going to fuck that up real quick if you don't come to your damn senses." Okay, so, he lied. But, if Ipo hadn't been a woman, he would be telling the truth. Snafu had sat quietly as Eugene ranted, staring down at his feet inside his sandles. Eugene continued, "If you have problems, talk to Ipo about it. Don't make him question everything he's doin' for you."

"What is he doing for me?" Snafu grumbled.

Eugene didn't have to hesitate in his answer, "He's willing to go to prison for you."

"Hey, guys." Ipo suddenly entered the tent, tired and sweaty and seemingly unaware of what Eugene had just been lecturing about, "Gunny needed me to demonstrate every little idea that I had."

"Are you going to torture us?" Eugene asked, trying to look as though he wasn't just basically yelling at Snafu.

Ipo grabbed her flask from under her pillow and drank the rancid water that they all had to endure, "If I can do it, you can."

"I'm going to have to disagree." Eugene chuckled.

"Ipo."

She turned and her face was grabbed as Snafu kissed her. Ipo immediately pushed him off, hissing, "Daylight, lōlō."

"It's an apology." Snafu kept his hands on her cheeks as he leaned his forehead against hers, "For being an ass."

"That's your natural state of being." Ipo muttered. He was too close to her and she always lost her mind when he was too close.

"Ha. Ha." Snafu stepped away, patting her cheek a little roughly before sitting down on his bunk, "You can thank your best friend over there for making me realize my rotten ways."

Ipo turned and looked at Eugene with raised eyebrows. Eugene shrugged, "You're welcome for fixing your relationship." Sitting there watching them have an intimate moment was awkward, but more pleasant than most things he had experienced.

Ipo scowled, "No relationship."

"Ah, Sweetheart." Snafu said, covering his heart, "That hurts."

"Shut up." Ipo rolled her eyes and sat down.

"Ipo," Eugene said, "Annalise's eyes were still in her sockets."

"Were they not supposed to be?" Snafu asked.

Ipo sighed and flopped back onto her pillow, "Yeah, I botched it."

"Wait," Snafu held up his hand, "You did that to her? You were going to take out her eyes."

Ipo turned her head and looked at him, "... I get angry sometimes."

"That's not new." Eugene muttered.

"And I refuse to be intimidated." She cleared up.

"I'm glad that you're not goin' anywhere." Snafu suddenly said.

Eugene sighed and stood, "I'll leave you two alone. I can't watch any more of this."

"There's a girl who needs a rebound if you're jealous." Snafu joked.

Eugene flipped him off as he left. Snafu looked at Ipo with raised eyebrows and patted the empty spot next to him. Ipo rose an eyebrow and patted her side. She was already lying down and didn't particularly want to move. Snafu rolled his eyes and stood only to collapse down next to her, their sides almost overlapping each other. They were silent for a bit before Snafu grabbed her hand, interlocking their fingers, "... Would you stick a firecracker in your ass?"

Ipo laughed, "Yeah, sure. Why not?"

Snafu groaned before rolling on top of her, kissing her passionately. Ipo kissed him back, gripping his hair tightly. She wanted to do so many things with him. To him. But, she couldn't. Ipo had to concentrate enough to make sure he didn't press down onto her crotch with his and wonder why a hard muscle wasn't pressing back against his own. Ipo rolled them over so that she'd be on top, but she forgot that the bunks were small and, although Snafu stayed on the bed, Ipo fell right off of it and landed on the hard ground. Snafu started laughing at her.

"I think I have a concussion." Ipo groaned, sitting up.

Snafu laid on his stomach and smiled at her, "You're fuckin' cute." He gently grabbed her chin.

Ipo clicked her tongue and slapped his hand away, "ʻAʻole. I'm manly."

Snafu hummed before grabbing the back of Ipo's head and connecting their lips again briefly before letting go, "Whatever you are, I like it."

Ipo placed her forehead on his, "You like me."

"I love you."

She closed her eyes and sighed, "Say it again."

"No."

Ipo moved back, "Why not?"

"I like irritating you."

Ipo rolled her eyes and stood up, "Get out of my bed before someone comes in."

"Make me." Snafu snuggled into it further, "It's nicer than mine. Smells like you."

Ipo shrugged, "Fine. I got shit to do, anyway." She made it one step before Snafu tackled her down onto his cot, holding her tightly. She jabbed him in the gut with her elbow, making him fall off of her with an 'oof' and she jumped up before he had the chance to grab her again. "Bruises, asshole" She said, holding her stomach.

"Don't be a baby." Snafu sat up on his elbows, grinning, "If you didn't want to get hurt, you shouldn't have done stupid shit."

Ipo disregarded that.

Ipo thought that that would be the end of Annalise. Burgin had swooped in and saved the day and that nurse was never going to do bad again. However, psychos will always be psychotic and that was their way of life. The entire week was filled with Annalise staring at her in the distance and she tried to ignore it as best as she could. No one thought much of it since she wasn't causing any actual harm. Snafu did a great job at distracting Ipo from it. However, it didn't go unnoticed when Annalise was one day not in the background. It was nice and refreshing.

Well, until one of the privates came running by, shouting, "Fire! Fire!"

Everyone went running in the direction of the smoke and flames and Ipo's insides sunk when she saw that it was her squad's tent on fire. It was almost completely engulfed by flames and was spreading to the tent next to theirs. Burgin shouted for someone to get the fire extinguishers and men were splashing what little water they had on them. Ipo didn't stare at the red and orange flames for very long before she darted forward and into the tent while Eugene tried to grab her and pull her back. She felt panic in her chest, but not because she just entered a cave of fire, but because of their stuff.

Ipo tried to hold her breath and squint her eyes as she ran over to her cot. It looked like the fire was started from the outside. She reached under her cot and yanked out her rucksack, thankful it wasn't on fire. She was going to leave, but she thought of everyone else's stuff. Particularly, Eugene's bible. Ipo ran back and grabbed Eugene's bag, as well as Leyden's and Snafu's before running back out and dropping them on the ground next to the crowd. She took in a deep breath of air. Ipo had only been in there for a couple of seconds, but it felt a lot longer than that. Time passed slowly when there was no oxygen.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Snafu yelled at her.

"You're welcome." Ipo said sarcastically, coughing a little.

"You're an idiot." Eugene scolded her.

"You're promoted." Burgin said, patting her shoulder as the fire was extinguished.

"Does that mean I can boss people around?"

"No." Eugene and Snafu said at the same time.

"How did it start?" Burgin asked, "Snafu, you not put out your cigarette?"

Ipo spotted a certain redheaded nurse in the back of the crowd. Her arms were folded and her eyes were blank as she stared at the smoking tent. That was the first time she wasn't staring at Ipo. It clicked in her mind, "It was Annalise."

"How do you know?" Burgin asked.

"Haven't seen her all day for the first time in a week and now our tent is on fire? Not right." Ipo was muttering quietly.

"That doesn't prove anything." Burgin said.

"Check her pockets. Girls like to stick around and watch the mess they make." Ipo would know.

Burgin sighed before looking at Eugene and Snafu, "You heard your new NCO. Search Annalise."

Ipo had never felt more proud of herself in her entire life and she grinned, despite being certain that part of her hand was burned, "I can give orders."

"You'll have to learn some new things." Burgin chuckled.

"Hey, Annalise!" Snafu shouted even though he didn't need to. The crowd had mostly dispersed. Snafu and Eugene made their way to her, Ipo and Burgin following behind. The nurse looked like she wanted to run, but she stayed put as they stopped in front of her. "Orders are to search you." Snafu was smug.

"What?" Annalise did take a step back, "That's insane. If this was Ipo's idea, then-"

"He's the NCO." Eugene interrupted her, "Raise your arms out to your sides, please."

"Besides," Snafu said, "Crazy bitches make crazy shit happen."

"Snafu." Burgin said as Eugene began patting her down, "Be a little more respectful, please." Eugene slid his hand into the pocket of her uniform and pulled out a match box. "Or not." Burgin muttered to himself.

"It's for my cigarettes." Annalise snapped.

"You don't smoke." Ipo reminded her.

Eugene sniffed it and opened it, "Recently used. A few matches missing. Says 'Property of Shelton'."

"You stole my matches?" Snafu asked angrily.

"Take her to the brig." Burgin ordered, "I'll have a talk with Gunny and try to get her off the island in the morning."

Eugene and Snafu started escorted her away as she shouted over her shoulder, "Fuck you, Ipo!"

Burgin let out a low whistle, "That was a bad break-up."

"Worst I've ever had." Except, technically, she's only ever had one and she wasn't even present when it happened.

Burgin looked at the half gone tent, "Now we have to find a new home."

Ipo sighed heavily, "Great way to start the New Year."

 **~~~ A/N ~~** ~

I apologize for the graphic nature. English Translations:

 _Kapu_ \- Forbidden

 _ʻOia k_ _ā_?- Really?

 _E kala mai ia_ _ʻu_. - I'm sorry.

 _Tu me fais mal_. - You hurt me.

 _Kahe_ \- Vagina

 _Kupua_ \- Like a witch.

 _E ʻoki waha au i_ _ā_ _kona maka_!- I will cut out her eye!

 _Maikaʻi._ \- Good.

 _Aloha kapu_ \- Forbidden love


	5. Chapter 5

**~~~ A/N ~~~**  
 **English translations will be at the bottom. Once again, Fanfiction has fucked up the formatting and I am too tired of trying to fix it. I apologize for this shit.**

They arrived on Okinawa in April, but the three months before that had been extraordinarily nice. Annalise was kicked out, thankfully, and was even going to have a trial. They wanted Ipo to be a witness, but her duties as a CPO took up too much time. They started training again, which Ipo mostly over saw with Gunny. She made them climb the cliffs at the north side of the island as well as tie heavy weights around their ankles during the training period, which lasted two months. Everyone basically hated her, but she was doing it, too, so they couldn't complain when she still ran ahead. Ipo taught them to climb the palm trees, which Snafu was completely against. The bruises on her stomach had faded into patches of yellow and they had itched like crazy. The pink fetus corpse still cried at her in her nightmares.

Things with Snafu could be compared to a fiery pit disguised as a paradise. He kept inching her closer and closer to it, the heat warming them like they had been in eternal snow, but every time they got too close, she was the only one that felt the pain of the flames and she pulled back. Snafu really wanted to fall in with her and make them both burn alive, but she was scared of death. Ipo kept him busy by asking him about himself. She wanted to know everything about him. Turned out, Merriell used to gamble. A lot. It cleared up why he was so keen on their relationship. It was another gamble that got him high. That fact made her think that he didn't really love her. Ipo was oddly okay with that just as long as he kept nuzzling her and telling her that she was wonderful./p  
p style="text-align: left;"Snafu had a big family. He had four younger sisters and one younger brother who all lived together with his mother. Ipo asked what happened to his father and the answer was, "Who cares? He's a piece of shit." Safe to say, he wasn't in the picture. Snafu had ran away a lot when growing up and left for good when he was seventeen. He loved his family more than anything, but his mom was really pissed with all the trouble he was getting in and he thought that it'd be better for everyone if he just left. Plus, all the kids running around all the time made it hard for him to function. He used to like being alone before the war. He used to like thinking, but not any more./p  
p style="text-align: left;""Until I met you." Snafu studied Ipo's face, "Now all I think about is you."/p  
p style="text-align: left;"It took a while for Ipo to recover from that statement./p  
p style="text-align: left;"They left for Okinawa in March and were on a ship for a couple of weeks. The familiar dread settled in everyone's gut and she and Eugene gave each other the ritual 'off-to-war' hair cut. Their first time around was difficult enough and this time, well, this time everyone was probably going to die. On that ship, Ipo made sure to distance herself from Snafu. It was different when they had a tent or a beach or a forest to sneak off to. Ipo realized that they snuck off so often with each other to not just touch each other, but to talk. About anything. The only thing that was off limits was the war. They couldn't do that any more while being constantly surrounded by men. The first couple of days while in the mess hall, Snafu would sit by her and rub their knees together or he'd try to run his hand along the inside of her thigh. Ipo made sure that she was between Eugene and Burgin from then on./p  
p style="text-align: left;"They were grouped with the Sixth Marine Division. What they did, the First did. They were all marines, but there was still this giant line that separated them, Snafu being the one to reinforce it. He did the same thing when her and her friends arrived, except that now Eugene enjoyed the line as well. Snafu had an issue with outsiders. That line wasn't much thought about as much as the raining bullets, bombs, planes, and bodies were. The Kamikazes were almost too much for Ipo to handle. She wasn't close to it, but she saw it go down and for a split second she saw that bird. Those split seconds, darkening tunnels, and ringing ears were going to get her killed. That's what Eugene told her when they saw exactly how the Japanese treated their own innocent civilians. Using school children to fight their battles. Ipo thought that Eugene felt better about his own pain by bringing attention to hers./p  
p style="text-align: left;"Eugene had reverted back to the way he was on Peleliu, except he didn't hesitate in being violent this time. That was the most frightening thing. He was quiet and his brow was always heavy. Ipo didn't know if he was going to come back this time. Eugene didn't speak much, either. Only when he wanted to snap at someone or say something depressing. In return, Ipo didn't talk much. Every time she saw Eugene staring down at the ground she wanted to say something that would surely end their friendship. It pissed her off, how easily he was willing to let go of himself. It helped that Burgin kept them separated by needing her to help with leading the division. Ipo found that she was insanely good at making decisions when she wasn't feeling panicked. When she was momentarily transferred back to Pearl Harbor or the woods on Peleliu, she couldn't do much but run or fight viciously. There was no pleasant, understandable actions in those moments./p  
p style="text-align: left;"Snafu would stare at her a lot. He must've known that she would get angry and try to withdraw from the idea of 'them' if he tried to do what he used to do. Kiss her. Hug her. Cuddle her. It couldn't happen in the few moments when they weren't killing or being killed. So, he stared and Ipo knew that he wanted to hold her every time he did. Either that or she was just having wishful thoughts and he was actually staring at all the blood and muck on her face, wondering how he could have ever liked a thing like her. For the entirety of the first month on Okinawa, she mostly buddied up with Burgin. However, Eugene still went with her when she had to go to the bathroom, which she finally had to explain./p  
p style="text-align: left;""I don't want you guys seeing me go to the bathroom." Ipo said to Burgin, "I'd rather die than have that happen."/p  
p style="text-align: left;""Be careful what you say." He responded, "Jap will sneak up and kill you and you'll be found in a puddle of your own shit."/p  
p style="text-align: left;"It still stood that she would definitely rather die. At least in death they would know that a girl beat all of their asses./p  
p style="text-align: left;"It was too surreal seeing civilians. Women and children were shaking, crying, muttering to themselves out of shock. Everything they've known and loved destroyed in a battle that wasn't even theirs. Ipo knew what every single one of them felt. She tried to help them through the carnage by trying to speak Japanese at first. She would point and say, "Tadoru." Which was what Kenji's dad used to say when Ipo's family couldn't find something before leading them to where it was in the store. It turned out that Okinawans didn't even speak Japanese. Peleliu was almost an emotional cakewalk compared to this. Even after she was raped, she felt like she had still been through worse. Through Oswalt, she recovered. The worst had been the abortion, but it still didn't compare to Pearl Harbor. Okinawa was like being plopped right back on that beach, except that the planes never stopped coming and there were always more bodies. It smelled worse, though. There was too much mud. Too much rain, even for her./p  
p style="text-align: left;"Ipo didn't know how to protect the civilians. She wanted to, but she couldn't./p  
p style="text-align: left;"They were going to relieve an Army division when Snafu berated someone for thinking that the Okinawa citizens were Japanese. He never liked when a person's origins were mixed up. That was the little bit of good that was in him speaking as they walked by the innocent men, women, and children who were moving their entire lives away from their own people./p  
p style="text-align: left;""You know those ponchos are full of chemicals." Snafu told the new guys./p  
p style="text-align: left;""What kind of chemicals?"/p  
p style="text-align: left;"Snafu worked his charm and got a new poncho. "Semper Fi."/p  
p style="text-align: left;"They passed prisoners of war. She tried not to look at them. They reminded her of her friends. Of herself. Of the rapist. Ipo had to stop and turn back when a commotion broke out. One of the Japanese soldiers had enough of the Marine's passing shit. The Kepanspan style="font-family: Arial; font-size: medium; background-color: #fff9f1;"ī/span soldier had stepped into the way of Second Company./p  
p style="text-align: left;""Out of the way, Hiro Hito." Snafu was making fun. Ipo couldn't get mad. They were the enemy. But, she still felt the lake inside her start to bubble. When the prisoner didn't move, something must've erupted in him and he hastily pointed his rifle, "Move, you slant eyed bastard!" He was being encouraged. They wanted him to kill this already defeated man who didn't even have the guts to kill himself like the rest of the Japanese army would have. By now the soldier was probably praying for it./p  
p style="text-align: left;""Sit down!" Eugene ordered. He then shoved him. Ipo had to back up quickly in order to not go down with him, but she involuntarily reached out to make sure he didn't hit his head on the ground. After everything she had been through, she still had the humanity that her friends were lacking. Out of everyone to attack the man who was doing nothing, she least expected Eugene. Although, he's been trying to reach new levels of scum. Guns were pointed and the shouting for someone to shoot him was getting louder and her anger was rising to her chest, which was where it usually erupted. Count to ten. Count to ten./p  
p style="text-align: left;"But, Haldane wasn't there any more./p  
p style="text-align: left;"The Japanese soldier got back up because, like Americans, they had a swelling pride. That was why there was still a war. To rams butting their horns against each other. Eugene shoved him again and the yelling persisted before an Army man stepped in, yelling at them to quit. The Geneva Convention. Ipo liked it. She liked that these men were protected because all of them were just fighting for their countries, voluntarily and involuntarily. Eugene was pointed at specifically, demanding his rank and serial number. For a moment Ipo hoped that he would get courtmartialled. That he would leave. That's how much she had come to dislike his new personality. She hoped that just the threat would put him in line./p  
p style="text-align: left;"It didn't put her in line, though, did it?/p  
p style="text-align: left;"They moved on and Ipo let herself fall in with the second squad. She couldn't speak to Eugene and he might've been too caught up in his own self pity to realize that she was pissed off at him. Instead, she spoke to Snafu without even looking at him, her jaw tense, ""Slant-eyed bastard?""/p  
p style="text-align: left;"Snafu looked at her, his face falling, "Sweetheart, I didn't mean you."/p  
p style="text-align: left;"She stopped and turned to him abruptly, venom thick in her voice, "Next time you want to insult them, use a term that doesn't include me. Better yet, keep your damn mouth shut."/p  
p style="text-align: left;""Lay off him, Ipo." Eugene said. Like his opinion mattered at that moment./p  
p style="text-align: left;"She scoffed cruelly, "Don't even get me fucking started on you." Ipo walked ahead of them, not wanting to be in either of their presence or fists might start flying./p  
p style="text-align: left;""What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" Eugene asked, trying to match her level of hissing tone. No one could. No one had anger like Ipo. Eugene only had despair./p  
p style="text-align: left;""It means 'fuck off'!" She barked back at him./p  
p style="text-align: left;"There was a low whistle from Leyden, "You made Daddy mad."/p  
p style="text-align: left;""What's his problem?" Pecker asked./p  
p style="text-align: left;""He's always like that." Leyden said before waiting a beat and looking up at Pecker, "I bet he'll hit someone within the next three days."/p  
p style="text-align: left;""He's not going to hit anyone." Burgin stated firmly. He wasn't so confident./p  
p style="text-align: left;""Isn't he a Jap?" Hamm asked./p  
p style="text-align: left;""He's Hawaiian. Polynesian." Eugene muttered, "Has a lot of Jap friends back home."/p  
p style="text-align: left;""Could be a sympathizer." Boo said, "Or a spy."/p  
p style="text-align: left;"Snafu looked back, clearly upset since Ipo's tirade, "Shut the fuck up."/p  
p style="text-align: left;"Pretty soon they were under fire and mortar again where they met up with the regimen that they were supposed to replace. There were a few Marines from the 6th Division that must've never been to battle and this was one hell of a one to start in. Trying to run up a hill under fire was hard when the mud was sucking at their boots. It lasted for hours until dark. Ipo had avoided Eugene and Snafu and they did the same to her, but her ears still craned every time she heard one of them speak. Ipo was in Burgin's foxhole, careful to avoid the buried corpses while digging it, still having residual anger from earlier. It would go away if she could just hurt someone, feel bones crush beneath her hands, but she couldn't./p  
p style="text-align: left;""I was wrong." Burgin told her quietly, as they were closely surrounded by men, "It's not Sledge. It's Snafu."/p  
p style="text-align: left;"Ipo paused in her digging before muttering, "Yeah."/p  
p style="text-align: left;""Why didn't you tell me?"/p  
p style="text-align: left;""Didn't want to get anyone in trouble."/p  
p style="text-align: left;""One squad member's trouble is all of our trouble. It don't mean nothin'."/p  
p style="text-align: left;"Ipo couldn't help but smile, "I can see why Florence is going to marry you."/p  
p style="text-align: left;"Burgin shushed her, "Don't jinx it. Besides... I don't know if she is."/p  
p style="text-align: left;""She is." Ipo said./p  
p style="text-align: left;"They were interrupted. The Mortar Squad was needed, but the rounds were wet and someone needed to run and get more. Eugene, Snafu, and Hamm were going to go alone, but Burgin ordered Ipo along with them to make sure that, if the others were killed, at least someone would bring back more ammo. It was like a legend. Ipo with her strange culture and stories could never die, just like her Aunty. She went with them, but they didn't speak to each other. They got the ammo under heavy fire and saw a family running to get away from it. Why didn't they move out like the rest of the civilians earlier in the day? She wanted to run out and shove them out of the way of the gunfire, but by the time she twitched to move, all of them were shot and killed and Ipo's vision started to tunnel. One of them started crawling and Hamm did exactly what she wanted to do. He tried to go and help, but was forced down./p  
p style="text-align: left;"At least one of them had the guts./p  
p style="text-align: left;"They moved out, bringing the ammo back. One of the men who went with them, one whose name Ipo didn't know, was shot in the head. Snafu grabbed the rounds he was carrying and shoved them at Ipo, "I love your eyes!" He shouted over the rain and gunfire./p  
p style="text-align: left;"She could barely register what he said from the ringing in her ears, so she just took the ammo and turned, running to follow Eugene. Maybe Shark Bait should've been the one promoted, not her. As soon as they got back to where they were, Snafu suddenly yanked the poncho off of Peck and covered the ammo. Snafu was smart; smarter than any of them. He knew why the rounds were wet and he was pissed off about it. He looked like he was going to hit him and Ipo wished that he would. Someone needed to hit someone and if one of them couldn't be her, then that was fine./p  
p style="text-align: left;"When the fight finally started to die down, Ipo knelt next to Snafu, almost whispering, "I'm sorry." It had finally sunk in all the way what he said and why he said it while they were under such heavy gunfire. If either of them died, he wanted her to know that he didn't hate the Japanese soldiers for their eyes. He didn't want either of them to die with that thought in Ipo's head. With that realization, her heart started to do that stupid fluttering thing and she felt so bad that she had to apologize, "I overreacted."/p  
p style="text-align: left;"Snafu looked at her in that way that he had been since they got on the island, "... No. No, you didn't." He wanted to kiss her, she could tell. She wanted to kiss him, too./p  
p style="text-align: left;""Don't I get an apology?" Eugene asked. He must've saw the way they were looking at each other. Ipo just glanced at him before standing up and walking away. Eugene stood, too, however, "Ipo, we need to talk."/p  
p style="text-align: left;""You don't need to say anything to me." She couldn't help but answer./p  
p style="text-align: left;""But you have something to say to me?" He challenged./p  
p style="text-align: left;"There were too many men around in too close of a proximity and Snafu was glancing between them. It was strange to see them not on extremely friendly terms. Ipo turned to face Eugene and stepped closer to him so that other people wouldn't be able to easily eavesdrop, "You're my best friend and I don't want that to change, so I'm going to wait until it blows over and forget about it."/p  
p style="text-align: left;""Tell me." Eugene demanded, his face hard. He always wanted to fight lately./p  
p style="text-align: left;"Ipo sighed and shook her head, almost in pity, "Look, I just made up with Snafu, could you let me have this moment of happiness, please?"/p  
p style="text-align: left;""What about my happiness?" Eugene asked, "It'd make me happy if you told me what the fuck has crawled up your ass."/p  
p style="text-align: left;"Ipo just stared at him. That stare that made people uneasy. Like she knew things that others didn't. Finally, she spoke, "... You don't have happiness in you. Not any more." She then turned and walked away, back to Burgin and his foxhole./p  
p style="text-align: left;"Snafu felt like he just witnessed a breakup. But, it was impossible. Eugene and Ipo went together like roux and seafood. Not even he could separate them and he was pretty sure that Ipo liked him a lot more than he let on. Eugene finally sat back down, brow furrowed and jaw clenched. Snafu re-thought his thought. All was fair in love and war./p  
p style="text-align: left;"The thing was, Eugene didn't see them splitting, either. He knew she was right, though. He didn't feel it any more. He finally felt nothing but anger. Not the type Ipo felt. Not the kind the comes when vengeance was needed. The kind that stuck around for a long time, ever simmering beneath his skin. Eugene would start fights or arguments just to let the steam out. He didn't see himself getting out of the war, but he saw Ipo go home to be with her family and maybe even bring Snafu along with her. But, in his fantasy, Ipo thought about the memory of him and the bond that they shared often and fondly. She wasn't looking at him too fondly these days./p  
p style="text-align: left;"Ipo began to feel bad after a while. She never felt bad when she let someone have a piece of her mind, ever. And it wasn't even what she wanted to say. It wasn't the rant that she replayed over and over in her mind every time Eugene stared at someone with the fire in his eyes. It was cold blue. Her own fire was searing white and melted metal, but cool water was always there to dowse her after a while. Ipo didn't know how to treat blue fire. All she knew was that water killed the flames. There wasn't much water around for Eugene./p  
p style="text-align: left;"That morning, she stood a little ways away, watching Eugene, Snafu, and the kid who still had hope sit around. They all looked so tired. They didn't sleep. Too much fighting. Snafu knew she was there- he always knew. Always looked around stiffly until he spotted her, then he would relax and continue with what he was doing, having her place fixed in the back of his mind. Ipo was looking for her opening and found it when Eugene started looking around in his bag, pipe clenched tightly between his teeth. Ipo walked over a little timidly at first before crouching down on top of the mound he was leaning against and held out a little clear bag to him filled with tobacco./p  
p style="text-align: left;"Eugene looked up at her, slowly taking the bag, "... When'd you start?"/p  
p style="text-align: left;""Never." She answered, sliding down to sit on the ground next to him, "Stole it out of your bag when you weren't looking." Hamm was staring at her. That stare that held wonder behind the eyes. It'd go away. It always did./p  
p style="text-align: left;"Eugene chuckled, taking his pipe out of his mouth to begin stuffing it and asked a little playfully, "Why?" It was odd. He was in a better mood, but it was probably false. Everything he did recently has been false./p  
p style="text-align: left;"Ipo cleared her throat, finding the act of apologizing harder than she originally thought, "You know how people... after a fight... offer a cigarette as a peace offering?"/p  
p style="text-align: left;"Eugene nodded slowly, "... I see. Well, thank you for not holding my tobacco prisoner any more."/p  
p style="text-align: left;""You're welcome." Ipo was becoming increasingly aware of the fact that Snafu and Hamm were watching this exchange. Eugene has seen it. Her weakness. No one else. Snafu has only seen her weakness for him, but not general weakness./p  
p style="text-align: left;"Eugene lit his pipe and breathed in the deadly plant before saying, "So, you're sorry." He was torturing her./p  
p style="text-align: left;"Ipo's lip twitched in irritation, "... Yeah."/p  
p style="text-align: left;""You seemed pretty mad at me." He continued, "Too mad to apologize."/p  
p style="text-align: left;""I am." Ipo answered confidently./p  
p style="text-align: left;"Eugene looked down at her, confusion on his face, "Then, why-"/p  
p style="text-align: left;""Because you could die today." Ipo interrupted him with the lesson that Snafu taught her the night before. She tried hard to lighten the mood, "Or tomorrow. Haven't decided yet."/p  
p style="text-align: left;"Eugene seemed to be the only one to get that she was joking as he started to laugh quietly. Ipo grinned. All was well in Friendship Land./p  
p style="text-align: left;""That's fucked up." Hamm said. He didn't like joking about murder when they were surrounded by bodies./p  
p style="text-align: left;"Ipo looked at Hamm, her smile dropping as she leaned forward, head tilted slightly as she spoke menacingly, "You wanna hear fucked up?"/p  
p style="text-align: left;"Hamm pressed his back against the rock behind him, his face pale as he shook his head, "No, sir." It was the desired effect. Ipo used to tell all of the ghost stories back on Kauaspan style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center; background-color: #f8f9fa;"ʻ/spani./p  
p style="text-align: left;"Ipo grinned like a lion and relaxed back, "Good boy."/p  
p style="text-align: left;"Snafu and Eugene began laughing at Hamm. "Need a change of dungarees?" Snafu asked. Hamm just sat there miserably as their laughter calmed down and the weight of the war fell back onto their shoulders. They were quiet for a while before Hamm spoke./p  
p style="text-align: left;""Why aren't we giving them safe passage?" His voice was watery. He had silently been crying. There were dried trails through the dirt on his face and his eyes were red. He was cut up about the kid./p  
p style="text-align: left;""What are you talkin' about?" Snafu asked./p  
p style="text-align: left;""The civilians." Hamm's answered, "We should be... We should be giving them safe conduct."/p  
p style="text-align: left;""A lot of them are helpin' the Nips, Hamm." Eugene said./p  
p style="text-align: left;"Hamm pointed off in the distance like he could still see them, "That family wasn't."/p  
p style="text-align: left;""The only thing that matters out here is killin' Japs." Snafu didn't want to be talking about it any more, that was certain./p  
p style="text-align: left;"Ipo didn't like hearing it and she cleared her throat for a second time that morning. Maybe she was coming down with a cold. "Hamm, you're right." He looked at her like she was a friend, hope in his eyes that she could magically save every civilian on the island, "... It's just not our orders."/p  
p style="text-align: left;"His face fell, "But, that's wrong."/p  
p style="text-align: left;"Ipo nodded, "It is. You're a hero, that's for sure. But, we don't need a hero. We need a marine." Hamm deflated. "Understand?"/p  
p style="text-align: left;"Hamm took a moment to respond, "Yes, sir."/p  
p style="text-align: left;""Ipo's my name. Please, feel free to use it." Hamm nodded. She felt sick saying that to him. Ipo was with him all the way. She would help the citizens in a heartbeat and fight off a whole damn Japanese regimen by herself if she had to just to keep them safe. Ipo had told the same thing to herself a long time ago. She needed to be a marine, not a hero. It must've been clear on her face that she was having a hard time accepting her own words as Eugene patted her shoulder./p  
p style="text-align: left;"Snafu wanted to be the one to do that. How come he couldn't? Eugene and Ipo could and they weren't together. If he touched Ipo just as much as Sledge did, how would anyone know that his skin tingled and heart floated every time they were near each other? How come Ipo wouldn't let him? Just one touch, that was all he needed. One grazing of the skin. One slight kiss on the shell of the ear. He'd even take a shoulder pat or their sides pressed together while seated. Snafu missed him so much. Missed talking to him. Missed the little smile that would come across his face every time Snafu told a story of old times. Missed how Ipo just stared into his eyes like he was trying to memorize them, but always noticed something new. Snafu couldn't do any of that. Ipo's orders. What he could do was stare and imagine that they could. Stare and note down every little thing. Love at a distance- now, that was something harsher than war./p  
p style="text-align: left;"Leyden came by and awkwardly slapped at the back of Hamm's head with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth, "You know, the first time you see someone get killed..." He sat down, "It's somethin'." Ipo personally felt that this wasn't helping the poor boy./p  
p style="text-align: left;""Get used to it." Eugene said shortly. Ipo took it upon herself to elbow him discretely in the ribs. He just gave her that look that made her want to tear his face off./p  
p style="text-align: left;"Leyden said he first saw death when he was fifteen. He fractured his skull while his friend got crushed. Playing on trains was a very deadly business, so she had heard. The only train on Kauaspan style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center; background-color: #f8f9fa;"ʻ/spani was at that one Sugar Mill that their sugarcane was taken to. Inoke would go to the closest plantation and sell the sugar cane to the owner, who then shot it down the water chutes to that legendary Sugar Mill./p  
p style="text-align: left;""Good thing your head's so fuckin' hard." Snafu drawled, "You got nine lives, Bill Leyden." The Cajun welcomed the story to get his mind off of Ipo. It didn't last, however, as Ipo laughed at Snafu's joke. He needed another distraction. His eyes fell on Peck, who had been holding something tightly in his hands for quite some time, "What's the matter, Kathy?" Peck looked up and Snafu continued, "One day of combat and you're all worn out." Peck looked down, ignoring him, "More assignments on the way, Princess. Japs fightin' for their own turf now." Snafu stood and began walking towards him, "Every damn foot we go south, they get meaner and meaner." He crouched next to him, "You better get mean too, Boo." He growled, resting his forehead onto the side of Peck's helmet./p  
p style="text-align: left;"Ipo didn't like that. Snafu was only allowed to do that to her. She had been enjoying the scene until that precise moment and for a split second all of her fears about him not really loving her and him getting bored and moving on was at the forefront of her mind. It was snapped out, however, as Snafu ripped away the picture that Peck was obsessing over. He just wanted the picture. He was still pissed that he stole the poncho off the ammo. Snafu looked at the picture, eyebrows raised, "Ooh. Ooh la. La. La. Now that's a piece of ass!" He said loudly./p  
p style="text-align: left;""Careful, that's a man's wife you're talkin' about." Eugene said. It wasn't his Christian values that told him to say it, it was the look on Ipo's face. He wanted to see, though. He held out his hand and, much like the picture of Ipo's "sister", Snafu had no problems with handing it over. Eugene understood immediately, however, as he let, "Wow." Slip out of his mouth, "I'd marry her."/p  
p style="text-align: left;""Let me see." Ipo finally said, grabbing the picture from her friend's hand. She studied the woman in the photo. The exact opposite of Ipo. Did Snafu like this kind of woman? Did he only like Ipo because she was the only feminine thing around for miles? Ipo realized that she had to comment, but couldn't force herself to say anything good, "She's... White."/p  
p style="text-align: left;""As opposed to your last girlfriend?" Eugene asked./p  
p style="text-align: left;""The one that burnt down our tent!" Leyden chimed./p  
p style="text-align: left;""She was a redhead." That was Ipo's excuse, "Redheads are crazy."/p  
p style="text-align: left;""Excuse me?" Eugene said defensively. She just grinned at him./p  
p style="text-align: left;"Leyden came by and took it, which finally made Peck have enough as he tried to get Leyden to give him the picture. Leyden flipped it over and read the back, "Kathy Jones? Thought your name was Peck?" Peck sat down, defeated as Leyden connected the dots, "She's not your wife."/p  
p style="text-align: left;"Snafu laughed, "Oh, that's rich! What's the missus think about Kitty Kat?"/p  
p style="text-align: left;""I met her after I was drafted." Peck tried to explain./p  
p style="text-align: left;""Drafted?" Snafu asked, sitting down directly in front of him. "What kind of Marine is drafted?"/p  
p style="text-align: left;""Hamm, were you drafted?" Leyden asked. He wasn't./p  
p style="text-align: left;""I don't believe it." Snafu said, "No way that broad is bangin' some drafted Marine. No way."/p  
p style="text-align: left;""I don't care what you think." Peck snapped./p  
p style="text-align: left;""You care what your wife thinks?" Ipo asked. Everyone turned to look at her. Her stare was much more sinister than when she was just playing around with Hamm. She was dangerous. She knew she was. She used it. It was like Pele flowed in her and gave her that ability. Peck looked down at the mud, not answering. Ipo's lip twitched, "Your wife's at home worrying whether or not you'll get shot down like a dog while you're lying awake at night thinking about burying your cock balls deep into that woman? That woman who has a half naked photo of herself for every Marine whose dick has made a home in her mouth?" Peck was getting angry, but Ipo was already there. She scoffed, "Do your wife a fucking favor, man, and tell her to get the divorce papers before you go home to save her the embarrassment. Or," Ipo stood and walked over to him, bending over so her face was right next to his, "Why don't you give me Mrs. Peck's address? I'll make sure she doesn't miss you one bit."/p  
p style="text-align: left;"That finally seemed to piss him off. Peck stood and shoved Ipo, "Fuck you!" Ipo, in return, punched him hard in the face, sending him to the ground. Snafu and Eugene shot up, the Cajun grabbing Ipo and pulling her back from Peck's body. He was holding his nose as blood rolled out of it. Leyden cheered and clapped, "One day! Hamm, pay up!"/p  
p style="text-align: left;"Hamm looked shocked as he answered, "... I didn't bet anything."/p  
p style="text-align: left;""That felt good." Ipo muttered to herself. It felt really, really good. She was worried that she was going to explode on Eugene, but not any more./p  
p style="text-align: left;""Hey!" Came Burgin's voice as he jogged over. One of these days she was going to have to learn to hit people when higher ranks aren't around. He looked down at Peck, then at Ipo, "Really? Again?"/p  
p style="text-align: left;""Are you going to demote me?" Ipo asked./p  
p style="text-align: left;"Burgin looked down at Peck, who was starting to stand up, "What'd he do?"/p  
p style="text-align: left;""He hit me!" Peck answered./p  
p style="text-align: left;""No, not you." Burgin looked back at Ipo and jerked his head to Peck, "What'd he do?"/p  
p style="text-align: left;""Cheated on his wife." Ipo shrugged./p  
p style="text-align: left;"Burgin looked like he was debating in his mind, which seemed to shock Peck and Hamm. He nodded, "...I'll allow it. But, seriously, Ipo, I can't keep letting this slide. Count to fuckin' sixty if you have to. Just stop hitting my men."/p  
p style="text-align: left;""Yes, Burgie." They all knew it was an empty promise. Burgin glanced at all of them again before walking away from the scene. Ipo hadn't noticed through the worry of demotion, but Snafu's hand was gripping her forearm tightly and his front was pressed against her back. She quickly yanked her arm out of his grip and walked away from Snafu, picking up the photo of Kathy and ripping it into pieces right in front of Peck. He didn't try to stop her. He knew he'd probably get into more trouble trying to than she would while strangling him to death. She let the pieces fall into the mud at his feet before walking away from all of them to find Burgin to see if he had something she could do./p  
p style="text-align: left;""Rule Number One of the Marines, boys." Leyden said with a grin, "Don't piss off Ipo."/p  
p style="text-align: left;""He's a psychopath." Peck snapped, trying to gather all the pieces of the ruined picture./p  
p style="text-align: left;""No." Eugene said, "He just doesn't like assholes."/p  
p style="text-align: left;""And he's a little crazy." Snafu was smiling widely./p  
p style="text-align: left;"She didn't get far when Burgin began running to them, "They're leavin'! The Japs are leavin!"/p  
p style="text-align: left;"The new Captain told Burgin that he needed all the men he could spare. When he turned to Second Squad and demanded them to follow him, there was clear hesitation. His reasoning was that they were low on ammo. Ipo was all for following Burgin. She was for following everyone in her squad. Except Peck. Fuck Peck./p  
p style="text-align: left;""Great. Because of you, we're gonna get our asses shot up." Snafu sneered at him before following the company. Hamm was having a real hard time. He wasn't nearly as bad as she was on the first day of combat, however. The hill was called Sugar Loaf Hill and she tried not to think about how ironic it would be for her to die there./p  
p style="text-align: left;"They were waiting for an attack and it felt like forever before they heard something coming through. There was crying and sniffling. The word "Civilians" was shouted back and they allowed them through. A woman with a baby was trying desperately to give them the baby. Ipo stiffened at the sound of the cry. She couldn't stand babies- not any more. Every time she saw one she had a flashback. She knew the same happened to Eugene because Ipo was hardened when it happened. Not him. Not to her degree. They asked if they should take it and Ipo would have volunteered if her tunnel vision wasn't emerging. If the woman had made it that far. It was very suddenly revealed why she wanted someone to take the baby. She spread her robe through her sobs and she was strapped with bombs. There was no way she volunteered to do that. The Japanese army was sick. Twisted. Disgusting. A sniper shot the bomb- the woman- and it exploded./p  
p style="text-align: left;"Her and her baby's body exploded, bits and pieces landing on all of them. The Japanese were firing at them and their own innocents, they didn't care. Neither did Ipo. At that moment, she was staring down at a pinky. A pinky too tiny to be a grown-up's. In her mind's eye she saw it grow into a pink mass and her inner ears were ringing with its cries. That's all she could register. Ipo couldn't hardly breathe. There were bullets everywhere but they just disappeared with everything else. Suddenly, her face was slapped hard and it all came fading back in as Eugene grabbed it, shouting at her to come back. He had hit her and he knew what was inside her eyes./p  
p style="text-align: left;""You don't have time to do that now." He said with a strange calmness./p  
p style="text-align: left;"Ipo suddenly let out an awkard laugh, pulling his hands away from her face, "That was embarrassing." Thank God no one was looking. If they were, she would've looked insane. But, her eyes caught with Snafu's. He saw her. Her saw her mind shut down. There was no time for that, like Eugene said, and they tried their hardest to get the civilians out of the way and shoot the advancing Japanese. Ipo was just shooting. She was sure that she got a few. They were all gone, even most of the civilians, before they were ordered to quit shooting./p  
p style="text-align: left;"A woman stayed kneeling over the corpses of her family and friends, blood on her hands and face. Ipo imagined that she had just looked a bit like that. Suddenly, there was a noise in the sky. Bombs./p  
p style="text-align: left;""Those are ours." Eugene said, forcing Ipo's head down as it landed on the ground too close to them. They were misfiring. They were doing what Eugene used to do in Bootcamp. They didn't correct it. They were hitting Bob and Dave instead of Tojo and Fuckface. They were ordered to fall back and Eugene yanked her arm after him because he wasn't sure if Ipo was sound enough to move on her own. She was, she was just a little out of it. The ringing in her ears definitely wasn't from the mortar rounds, but from the left over cries. Strangely, it seemed that dodging incoming bombs was the easiest fucking thing she's done since she got to that damned island./p  
p style="text-align: left;"They got back and she heard Snafu shouting angrily and then Eugene shouting, but the ringing hadn't gone, so she couldn't make out what they said. Eugene sat down and Snafu did too, but slowly. He fell to his knees and grabbed his helmet, stilling it onto his head. She knew that look. Ipo didn't care if there were men around, she didn't want Snafu to look like that. Ipo collapsed on her knees next to him, encircling her arms around his head and pressing his cheek against her shoulder. His hands grasped at her forearm tightly, but he didn't try to push her away. He was trying to keep her there. Ipo was sure that she was whispering, "It's okay." But, she didn't know if it was in English or Hawaiian. She just wanted him to feel better. And for the pink corpse to fade from the inside of her eyelids./p  
p style="text-align: left;"It was uncertain how long she held him, at least to her. All she knew was that Eugene eventually placed his hand on her shoulder and told her that it wasn't a good idea. "But, it's okay." Ipo said to him, "Burgin knows about me and him."/p  
p style="text-align: left;""The others don't. Come on, Ipo."/p  
p style="text-align: left;""Fuck off, Sledgehammer." Snafu said, his voice a little muffled into her shoulder. He sounded fine, but he still gripped her tight. She was going to have bruises./p  
p style="text-align: left;""Ipo." Eugene said sternly, but softly. His face was like how it used to be, but only for just a moment. She knew she had to let go of Snafu. She loosened her arms and Snafu's fingers dug in painfully to her skin before he let go, his hand flying to the back of her neck, tightly grabbing it so that she couldn't go anywhere as he desperately connected their lips. It barely lasted a second before Snafu pulled away and stood up from her, walking away. He shoved Leyden, basically screaming, "What?!" On his way to where ever he was going. The blond stood there with wide eyes, cigarette barely hanging in his parted lips. Well, now every member of the Second Squad knew. Or, maybe, he'll just think that it was a one time panic-in-the-moment type thing. That'd be nice./p  
p style="text-align: left;""Was that supposed to fuckin' happen?" Leyden asked, his voice squeaky with shock./p  
p style="text-align: left;""Ignore it, Bill." Eugene ordered in almost a threatening tone./p  
p style="text-align: left;"He turned, muttering, "No problem. I'm just going to go stab out my own eyes." He walked away./p  
p style="text-align: left;"Eugene sat down in Snafu's old spot, since Ipo had yet to move, "I don't think he's going to tell. Burgin would tell him to shut his mouth, anyway." He reassured. Ipo didn't need reassurance because she was sure that Leyden would actually try his best to forget it. They were quiet for a long while as the sounds of the mortar rounds stopped. Explosions and gunshots were still heard from other places on the island. Like Aunty Iolana said, the ocean carries sound./p  
p style="text-align: left;""It was the baby that did it." Eugene stated. He wanted her to talk about it. To stop freezing up in the middle of battle./p  
p style="text-align: left;"Ipo looked at him, "Of course."/p  
p style="text-align: left;""... Why does it bug you so much?"/p  
p style="text-align: left;""That's a stupid question."/p  
p style="text-align: left;""I know, but... It wasn't something you wanted. The... baby, I mean." Eugene was talking so quietly that she was glad the ringing had faded or else she would've had to asked him to repeat himself./p  
p style="text-align: left;""You want me to confess my sins, Father?" Ipo stated sarcastically, "Three 'Hail Mary's and I'll forget all about it?"/p  
p style="text-align: left;""I'm a Christian, not a Catholic." Eugene found her amusing, anyway./p  
p style="text-align: left;"Ipo knew that she had to tell someone and who better than Eugene? It's plagued her for so long- what she did. She looked around, making sure everyone was busy doing their own thing. Snafu had sat against a rock, not even facing them. That look was gone off of his face and he instead looked angrily down at the mud at his feet/p  
p style="text-align: left;"Eugene followed her eye-line, "I guess he really likes you."/p  
p style="text-align: left;"Ipo blinked, "... Says he loves me." Eugene immediately looked at her. She didn't sound happy, "I don't think that's true, though."/p  
p style="text-align: left;""Maybe because you don't see what I see." Eugene said, "Did you tell him about your... lack of male parts?"/p  
p style="text-align: left;""No. I wouldn't even consider it without asking for your opinion. Besides, if he did love me, he'd probably tell just so I'd get kicked out."/p  
p style="text-align: left;""Probably."/p  
p style="text-align: left;"They were quiet again for a few minutes before it came bubbling up her throat like the contents of her stomach that she wanted to vomit, "... It wasn't dead." Eugene stared at her. He wasn't stupid. He knew what 'it' was, "It was out and... wiggling like a dying worm. I could see it... trying to breathe. I don't know how it could have done that. You saw how small it was. I... I knew it was going to die soon on its own, but I couldn't stop looking at it and I just wanted it to stop moving. I think... It might have been my imagination, but... It sounded like a tiny cry. I covered it with my pillow to make it quicker. I killed it."/p  
p style="text-align: left;"Eugene's gaze was hardened. She knew that he had tried to relax it, to be there for her in the way she needed, but that information hurt him, too. It'd hurt anyone that heard it. Ipo murdered a baby./p  
p style="text-align: left;""It wouldn't have lived." Eugene said, "You can't kill something that would never have a chance."/p  
p style="text-align: left;"But, it was emalive/em. For a whole ten seconds, it was alive. When you stop something from being alive, it's called killing. Eugene couldn't argue away technicals. The Japanese seem to have no problems with killing babies. That was the difference, she told herself. Ipo was still human. Still good. She hadn't changed and she wasn't in the processing of changing like Eugene. Ipo was still her. She looked down at her arm and rolled up her sleeve so that she could look at some of her tattoo. Ipo was that tattoo. It was her history. She ran her thumb over the angry tiki, "Why do things have to be bad all the time?"/p  
p style="text-align: left;""It's war. Everything's bad in war." Was Eugene's immediate answer./p  
p style="text-align: left;"Ipo looked at him, "I want to thank you for being you. For helping me. Honestly, I wish you really were my brother."/p  
p style="text-align: left;""I am." Eugene smiled./p  
p style="text-align: left;""And one of these days, it's going to be me who saves your life instead of the other way around."/p  
p style="text-align: left;""I have no doubt about it." He noticed that Ipo's eyes slid over to Snafu again, "... Do you love him back?"/p  
p style="text-align: left;""I don't know. I don't want to get my hopes up and have him decide that a blonde haole named Betty is better."/p  
p style="text-align: left;""Never gonna happen." Eugene said, "You want my advice?"/p  
p style="text-align: left;""Sure."/p  
p style="text-align: left;""You guys could die tomorrow."/p  
p style="text-align: left;"Ipo stared at him, her lips parted slightly. This was Eugene, right? Eugene Stay-Away-From-Snafu-and-His-Unholy-Dick Sledge?/p  
p style="text-align: left;"He grinned and jerked his head in Snafu's direction, "Go on. If you don't tell him, I will and I don't think he'll like it as much."/p  
p style="text-align: left;"Ipo blinked at him for a moment before she felt the urgency that Eugene was trying to instill in her. She stood, her legs a little shaky as she walked over to Snafu. There were a few marines that were a little too close for her liking. They looked up at her when she arrived./p  
p style="text-align: left;""Leave." Ipo demanded. They rolled their eyes, but did as she said as she sat down next to Snafu, their sides touching. Her heartbeat was trying to obstruct her hearing, but her senses were on overdrive. She was scared./p  
p style="text-align: left;""Here to lecture me? Tell me not to touch you? That it's disgusting?" He sneered./p  
p style="text-align: left;"Ipo felt guilt. She had put those thoughts in him. She suddenly turned to him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, digging her face into his neck. It surprised him for a moment, but he could never miss the opportunity to touch her. To wrap himself around her so tightly that it felt like he wanted them to be one. Snafu wrapped his arms around her and rested his cheek against her head. She had to say it. It had to come out. They could die tomorrow./p  
p style="text-align: left;""I love you." Ipo said gently. Her lips tingled as the words left her mouth./p  
p style="text-align: left;"Snafu stiffened. She heard his breathing falter, "... Don't say it if you don't mean it."/p  
p style="text-align: left;"Ipo pulled away a little bit and rested their foreheads together, "I mean it. I really mean it. I love you. A lot. I thought I knew what love felt like, but this is different. You make me want to cry because my heart is trying to burst out of my chest just to be closer to you."/p  
p style="text-align: left;"Snafu's eyes were closed and he swallowed the lump in his throat, "... That's really gay."/p  
p style="text-align: left;""If the way you make me feel is gay, then I'm gay. I'm a huge fucking queer. I am a homosexual because I love Merriell Shelton."/p  
p style="text-align: left;"Snafu groaned, "Shut up." He kissed her before saying, "Never mind, say it again."/p  
p style="text-align: left;"Ipo kissed the side of his mouth, "I love you, Merriell."/p  
p style="text-align: left;"He groaned again, kissing her. The abortion and severed pinky were forgotten in that moment./p  
p style="text-align: left;"That night, Ipo saw Eugene. He was having a panic attack, but was fighting it greatly, clutching his rifle like he could shoot it away. She knew what to do if Snafu was having an attack. Just hold him, that's all, and he'd feel better within a few minutes. How did she comfort Eugene? She realized that that was a sad thing. He was the one who always helped her, calmed her down. Eugene had never needed it. At least, he never let on to needing it. Eugene had held Jay when he was crying. He held Ipo when she was crying. Maybe he needed to be held, too. Maybe that's what everyone in the war needed. Physical contact that didn't end in death./p  
p style="text-align: left;"Ipo excused herself from Burgin's foxhole and crossed over to Eugene's. Snafu looked at her like she was there for him, but she couldn't be. Not when Eugene needed her. She sat down next to her friend and she saw that his chest was heaving, but he was trying to control it. He looked at her, the anger being almost completely washed out by every other emotion he was trying not to feel, "What?" His voice was strained. Ipo gently grasped Eugene's rifle and tugged it away from him, propping it next to him. He let her, not sure what she was doing. Ipo pulled Eugene over to her and made him rest his head in her lap, running her fingers through his hair and draping one arm across his chest./p  
p style="text-align: left;""It's okay." She whispered quietly to him. That was all it took for him to start crying. It was the first time she'd seen it since Haldane died. He was a little loud and he buried his face into her thigh, crying into it like it was a pillow. Ipo didn't tell him to hush. She didn't make a noise. She just drug her fingers through his hair and waited for him to get it out. This was progress. Maybe he'd be better after this. Eugene cried for some time, even after he quieted. The material of her pants were soaked through and it took her a while to realize that he fell asleep on her./p  
p style="text-align: left;"Ipo didn't make him get off. She just wanted to make him feel better like he always made her feel better./p  
p style="text-align: left;"The next day was quiet. No one spoke about the obvious cries heard and Leyden still joked around with Ipo and Snafu like he hadn't seen a thing./p  
p style="text-align: left;""Within a week." Leyden told her, "You're gonna hit someone within a week."/p  
p style="text-align: left;""You know every time you say that he hits someone?" Eugene asked, digging through the mail bag that was passed around, taking out his and Ipo's mail./p  
p style="text-align: left;""I guess I like to do what's expected of me." Ipo said, taking the two letters that were held out to her. Everyone stared at her for a moment, knowing that that was a damn lie before they started laughing mockingly. "Shut up." Ipo scowled, opening the letter from span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center; background-color: #f8f9fa;"ʻ/spanAulispan style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center; background-color: #f8f9fa;"ʻ/spani. On the front of the letter was a picture drawn in crayon. It was of her, Inoke, Ipo, and Aunty Iolana on the beach. In the background was the sea and on a wave was Analu getting eaten by a shark. Ipo laughed before turning to the back and reading the letter silently to herself for a change. She just wanted her mind to be transported back home for a moment. To be involved in this child's life who was supposed to be in her care./p  
p style="text-align: left;""Shark Bait, what day is it?" Ipo asked, suddenly realizing something./p  
p style="text-align: left;""May 14." He immediately answered./p  
p style="text-align: left;"Ipo frowned, "... span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center; background-color: #f8f9fa;"ʻ/spanAulispan style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center; background-color: #f8f9fa;"ʻ/spani's birthday was nine days ago."/p  
p style="text-align: left;""Happy Birthday, span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center; background-color: #f8f9fa;"ʻ/spanAulispan style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center; background-color: #f8f9fa;"ʻ/spani." Rang around from her close group of friends./p  
p style="text-align: left;""She's... Six now?" Snafu asked./p  
p style="text-align: left;""Yeah..." Ipo trailed off. She's missed two of her birthdays. She's been away for 1/3 of span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center; background-color: #f8f9fa;"ʻ/spanAulispan style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center; background-color: #f8f9fa;"ʻ/spani's life. By now, it must seem like she's writing to a stranger. Did the little girl even know why she hated Analu? Did she remember? What was Inoke telling her about Ipo? Inoke. In November he would be eighteen. A full grown adult. Why did these years of being away feel like a lifetime? In the letter, span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center; background-color: #f8f9fa;"ʻ/spanAulispan style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center; background-color: #f8f9fa;"ʻ/spani said that Inoke had kicked Analu to the curb because he brought his new wife over. Analu had went ahead and got married to the girl. The girl who probably looked exactly like Kitty Kat. span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center; background-color: #f8f9fa;"ʻ/spanAulispan style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center; background-color: #f8f9fa;"ʻ/spani said that she wanted to dedicate her life to Hula, just like Ipo and their mother did. That was nice. It made her chest fill with pride. The blackouts were still happening in Hawaispan style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center; background-color: #f8f9fa;"ʻ/spani and it scared span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center; background-color: #f8f9fa;"ʻ/spanAulispan style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center; background-color: #f8f9fa;"ʻ/spani. "The lights flicker like a ghost is here" she wrote./p  
p style="text-align: left;"Now, who the hell was telling that girl ghost stories?/p  
p style="text-align: left;"span style="background-color: #f8f9fa; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;"ʻ/spanAulispan style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center; background-color: #f8f9fa;"ʻ/spani ended the letter saying that she loved and missed Ipo. Ipo stared at the drawing again before folding it up and placing it in her journal with the family portrait and the one of her and Analu. Ipo opened Inoke's letter and felt the guilt dig into her skin immediately. One of the first things he wrote was that he wished the war would end so that he could pursue his dreams. He wanted to be a teacher and a historian. He was tired of farming and tired of Hula and tired of being occupied by the army. The most interesting thing he'd done all year was attend a luau and buy some chickens. The highlight was telling Analu and his bride to "get off his fucking porch" before slamming the door shut. Ipo had never known her little brother to use language like that. Things must really be getting bad./p  
p style="text-align: left;""I don't want to say that taking care of span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center; background-color: #f8f9fa;"ʻ/spanAulispan style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center; background-color: #f8f9fa;"ʻi/span is your job." Inoke wrote, "But, it is. You're the oldest. I went to see Dad the other day and he just stared at the wall while I tried to talk to him. He's gone. His soul has left his body, I can feel it. Please, come home soon, Ipo. None of this is your fight. We all miss you."/p  
p style="text-align: left;"That was it. That was the end of the letter./p  
p style="text-align: left;""Eugene?" Ipo turned her attention to Snafu, who stood and walked to sit next to the redhead. She had been so caught up in herself that she didn't notice the look on his face as he folded his letter up tightly. "Gene?" Snafu asked again. It was odd hearing him call Eugene anything other than "Sledgehammer"./p  
p style="text-align: left;""... My dog died." Eugene said. Deacon was gone./p  
p style="text-align: left;"Snafu sat down next to him. He wanted to comfort Eugene like Ipo had done the night before because Eugene was his friend, too, "... I'm sorry."/p  
p style="text-align: left;""He was a good dog." Eugene said. He wanted to cry, that was obvious. Ipo wanted to cry for him. The boy just needed a break, that was all. Just one break./p  
p style="text-align: left;"Snafu looked at him, "How old was he?"/p  
p style="text-align: left;""Got him as a pup about nine years ago. Maybe ten." That was a long time. A bond can be formed from just a fraction of that time. Ipo could only imagine how close they were./p  
p style="text-align: left;"Snafu looked awkward. Ipo felt like she should step in and take over, but Snafu turned to him, "They say dogs live, what? Seven years to every one of ours?" Eugene didn't react. Snafu took that as defeat and turned away from him./p  
p style="text-align: left;""Aloha span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center; background-color: #f8f9fa;"ʻ/spanoe, aloha span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center; background-color: #f8f9fa;"ʻ/spanoe," Ipo quietly sang, "E ke onaona noho i ka lipo. One fond embrace. A hospan style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center; background-color: #f8f9fa;"ʻ/spani aspan style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center; background-color: #f8f9fa;"ʻ/spane au. Until we meet again." She gave a tight smile to Eugene, "You're supposed to sing it when people die."/p  
p style="text-align: left;""... Thanks." Eugene stated./p  
p style="text-align: left;"They were all quiet for a bit, wrapped up in their own issues before Hamm spoke, "My brother was on the Bunker Hill."/p  
p style="text-align: left;""Wow." Snafu used sarcastic wonderment./p  
p style="text-align: left;""Snafu." Ipo quietly hissed./p  
p style="text-align: left;""Ship got hit by two Kamikazes. Five hundred guys died, asshole." Hamm snapped. Snafu rolled his eyes as Hamm continued, "How the fuck can they do that? Fly themselves into a ship?"/p  
p style="text-align: left;""Emperor's God." Snafu explained, "Duty to God."/p  
p style="text-align: left;""They can't fuckin' surrender?" Hamm reminded her of Eugene./p  
p style="text-align: left;""I hope they don't." Eugene said, "I hope we get to kill every last one of them."/p  
p style="text-align: left;"The fire burned through Ipo's veins again and she just wished he'd stop. Stop pissing her off and stop doing this to himself, "... Every last one, huh?" Eugene dropped his head, shaking it, knowing that she just wasn't going to let it go, "Mr. Takahashi owns- oh, sorry, owned- a bookstore on Pua Street, you want to kill him? Or maybe his three little girls who always wore white sandals and had pretty red ribbons in their hair?" She spoke nonchalantly, but there was a threat in her tone./p  
p style="text-align: left;""Ipo, don't." Eugene looked at her, warning in his eyes./p  
p style="text-align: left;""I'm sorry," Hamm interrupted, "Owned?"/p  
p style="text-align: left;""What, you don't know?" Ipo asked him, "Thousands of certified American citizens ripped from their lives and thrown in prison just because their eyes were a certain way. They didn't do nothing to nobody. I had no friends left after the government got through plucking the Jap tree."/p  
p style="text-align: left;""Yeah, but, they could've been spies." Hamm said as if she was the stupid one./p  
p style="text-align: left;""Right." She said sarcastically, "My friend Ruth who barely spoke a word of Japanese, who was born and raised on Kauaspan style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center; background-color: #f8f9fa;"ʻ/spani, who wasn't even eighteen years old before she was taken away was definitely a spy."/p  
p style="text-align: left;""Will you just calm down?" Eugene snapped, "You know I didn't mean it like that."/p  
p style="text-align: left;"Ipo looked at him, "I'm just tired of you saying shit that makes me want to beat your face in."/p  
p style="text-align: left;""Do it." He wasn't even blinking. His blue fire fighting her white fire, "You've hit everyone else on this damn island, so why not me?"/p  
p style="text-align: left;"Ipo scoffed, her voice lowered, "...Because you want me to. You want someone to split your skull so badly to see your own blood and brains poor out because you're so fucking desperate. Wake the fuck up, Eugene. You've always been desperate, you've always been depressed, and you've always been full of self-pity. You didn't need no damn war to make you feel the way you do, so man up!" She barked, "Because I can't hit a fucking girl."/p  
p style="text-align: left;"That was it. That's what she had wanted to say this whole time. That was the thing that no one seemed to realize but her. They- all of them who weren't drafted- had always been this way. That's why they were there in the first place. People didn't sign up to be a Marine because they thought it was going to be all parties and pretty foreign women. They all signed up to fight. To get physical. To kill. They always say that people who come back from it have their souls ripped out, but that wasn't it. It just matured their souls- made it into what it was supposed to be. What it was trying to be. Ipo knew how he was before the war because he told her. He was so angry and full of despair because of his damn heart murmur. "emI just wish we could go already and fight/em." He used to say in boot camp. Ipo just wished he'd open his eyes to the truth./p  
p style="text-align: left;"Eugene wanted to hurt her. His fists were clenched and shaking, trying to hold back. Even if he did hit her, she wouldn't hit back. He didn't need to be hurt. He needed to be shown that not everything in life was spoiled any more, but that couldn't be done when they were surrounded by corpses and dead babies. If it brought him joy to knock her teeth out, then she'd let him because she cared about him that much./p  
p style="text-align: left;"Their fight was interrupted, however, by another fight. Leyden had done something to Peck, but she didn't know what. She was too preoccupied. Peck punched Leyden and Leyden hit back and Eugene stood like he was going to join. It was like her and Eugene's anger were infecting everyone else. Burgin came over and separated them. Peck was hit, once again, for Kitty Kat. That was something that Ipo could never understand. Cheating. Peck stompted away and sat down on a rock a little ways from Ipo. Eugene sat back down, both of them forgetting that they were in the middle of a fight. Forgotten, but the feeling was still there./p  
p style="text-align: left;"As Leyden was walking away, there was a whizzing in the sky and Ipo ducked her head before it even hit the ground, Eugene bending over her because his first instinct was still to protect her. It crashed right in front of Leyden and he went flying back, landing hard in the mud. More bombs began to fall and they were all disoriented for a moment. Eugene suddenly stood up and tried to run to Leyden, but Hamm held him back and Ipo helped him because she knew they had to cover. Never in her life had she seen such a coward like Peck and she couldn't believe that he was trying to hide under his poncho like it was his blanky. Snafu grabbed Eugene and pulled him back as Leyden was put on a stretcher and carried out of the battle lines. Eugene was screaming, but not just for Bill. She knew he was screaming for his pain./p  
p style="text-align: left;"Later that night, Ipo was lying on her back between Eugene and Hamm with her eyes closed, trying to sleep. Or feigning sleep. Which ever. She heard Snafu suggest to Peck that he should get a new poncho off a dead body, which was his way of trying to be nice. Peck didn't need niceness, he needed a good slap. She heard Hamm say that he thought it'd be different and Eugene's snappy reply. Ipo knew what he meant. He thought that the enemy wasn't going to be as sinister. He thought the fighting was going to be easier. He thought that there wasn't going to be as many bodies./p  
p style="text-align: left;""Grow up, Hamm." Eugene was bullying Hamm like she was bullying him earlier./p  
p style="text-align: left;""... Fuck you, Sledge." Hamm responded. Snafu was heard chuckling. "Why don't you pull yourself into the hole next time, huh?" She heard him stand up and leave./p  
p style="text-align: left;""That's the talk." Snafu chuckled. It was so nice, that chuckle./p  
p style="text-align: left;""Yeah. Fuck you, too." Hamm told him with less anger, sitting down next to him./p  
p style="text-align: left;""Where you from Hamm with two M's?" Snafu asked./p  
p style="text-align: left;"It must've struck a cord in Eugene as he asked, "Now you want to know where they're from?"/p  
p style="text-align: left;""Oh, give it a rest, Shark Bait." Ipo sighed, opening her eyes to look up at the stars in the sky./p  
p style="text-align: left;""So, it's only okay if you have something to say?" Eugene asked her./p  
p style="text-align: left;"Ipo rolled her eyes and sat up on her elbows, looking at him, "span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center; background-color: #f8f9fa;"ʻ/spanAe. Leave Hamm Sandwich alone."/p  
p style="text-align: left;"Snafu laughed, "Hamm Sandwich."/p  
p style="text-align: left;""Double the 'M' for double the goodness." Ipo said, sitting up all the way./p  
p style="text-align: left;""That's creepy." Hamm stated./p  
p style="text-align: left;""Almost as creepy as actually adopting the name 'Ham'." Ipo responded, "Your ancestors butchers or something?"/p  
p style="text-align: left;"Hamm shook his head, "I don't know."/p  
p style="text-align: left;"Ipo grunted, "You can tell a lot about someone by their last name."/p  
p style="text-align: left;""Really?" Snafu asked doubtfully, "And what does mine tell you?"/p  
p style="text-align: left;""Hm. Shelton, Shelton..." She pondered for a moment, "It reminds me of turtles. Do you like turtles?"/p  
p style="text-align: left;""Like 'em in soup." He said./p  
p style="text-align: left;""Ipo, you don't know what you're talking about." Eugene was trying to suck the fun out./p  
p style="text-align: left;"Ipo looked at him, offended, "I do too. Your's is Sledge. That means that your Great Great Great... Great Great? Grandfather invented the hammer of the same name."/p  
p style="text-align: left;""You literally just learned that a Sledgehammer was a thing." He dead-panned./p  
p style="text-align: left;""Yeah, but it's something you could tell the ladies." Ipo suggested./p  
p style="text-align: left;""What about you?" Hamm asked, "What does 'Ipo' mean?"/p  
p style="text-align: left;""Ipo's his first name." Eugene and Snafu answered at the same time. Snafu grinned, "And it means 'Sweetheart', but don't call him that. Only I can."/p  
p style="text-align: left;""Yeah, I'd rather you not." Ipo muttered to herself./p  
p style="text-align: left;""What's your last name?" Peck asked quietly like he was afraid to be involved. He should be. He wasn't the best person./p  
p style="text-align: left;""Yeah..." Snafu frowned, "What's your last name?" It never occurred to him to ask. Ipo was always just... Ipo./p  
p style="text-align: left;"Eugene looked at her, "You're tellin' me that Snafu doesn't know your last name?" She knew what he was implying while simultaneously rubbing it in the Cajun's face. He was implying that Snafu didn't love her enough to know. He was an angry, angry redhead./p  
p style="text-align: left;""It's Kaheikekonikoni." Ipo said, not as playfully as she had been before, "It means 'The Passion Flow'."/p  
p style="text-align: left;"Everyone was quiet for a moment before Snafu said, "... Now I really want a damn ham sandwich."/p  
p style="text-align: left;"According to Burgin, they'd been there for sixty-six days. Around June 5. span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center; background-color: #f8f9fa;"ʻ/spanAulispan style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center; background-color: #f8f9fa;"ʻ/spani's birthday was exactly a month ago. Ipo imagined that time passed on the island exactly as it would in Hell. Slow and unbearable. She also imagined that her siblings were having the time of their lives with no stress or worries, but she knew that was bullshit. Her thoughts were more and more preoccupied with those two lately. It was all Inoke's fault. He was probably blaming everything on her. Their father being in a madhouse was her fault. The shitty crop was her fault. span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center; background-color: #f8f9fa;"ʻ/spanAulispan style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center; background-color: #f8f9fa;"ʻ/spani not getting a good education was her fault. Him not being able to do what he wanted was her fault. Hell, maybe the war was even her fault./p  
p style="text-align: left;"These bouts of depressing thoughts clouded out everything else around her. She didn't talk much and didn't hear other people talk much. The last thing she remembered talking about was when she was with Snafu. They were by themselves, sitting next to a rock that blocked out everyone else./p  
p style="text-align: left;""I came here to get better." Ipo had said, staring into the distance and not even really registering that Snafu was next to her, "To make to the dreams go away. I thought it was working when Eugene said that I looked happy, you know, after fighting. But... I think it's because I'm going insane. I'll be right beside my father in an asylum, screaming at the walls with him forever."/p  
p style="text-align: left;"Snafu didn't know what to say. He wasn't good at this sort of thing. He just held her. Ipo didn't want to be held, though. She wanted to stay sane. She didn't want to become like Eugene- all sour and rotten. She didn't want to become like Snafu, who was so nonchalant about death and masked his pain with humor. Ipo wanted to be who she was before that day. A girl with long hair and a nasty attitude with lots of friends and aloha to go around. Now she had three friends- one of which was struggling to stay connected with her- and a family that was broken. She also had a... Not a lover. They didn't touch each other like that, she couldn't let it happen. Snafu wanted to, though. He gave her this painful look sometimes when she pushed him away./p  
p style="text-align: left;"Lately, she hadn't let them have moments where she could push him away./p  
p style="text-align: left;"Ipo spent a lot of time writing when she could. She wrote a song just for Annalise, since the residual anger towards her hadn't left when she picked up a pencil. That's what she was doing when Eugene and Snafu began arguing- she was finishing up Annalise's song. It started out like normal, but Snafu kept going. He was pushing, ranting with that far off look in his eye right next to Ipo. Eugene seemed to think that he was the only one on the island that was allowed to throw fits. Or, Snafu was saying things that Eugene couldn't think about or he'd really lose it. The shouting was starting to hurt her ears, but what could she do? Hit Snafu? She didn't think she'd be able to do it. Not any more./p  
p style="text-align: left;"Peck got up and stormed away like the huge pissy crybaby he was. They went chasing after him, but Ipo stayed put under the tarp. She could hear the yelling and gunshots and she hoped that Peck would get one right in the skull like he deserved. A final shot was heard and everything got quiet. Ipo thought that maybe the God Ouli heard her and did have him killed. But, then Eugene started yelling, screaming. It definitely wasn't Peck who got shot. She got scared and thought that it had been Snafu. Ipo shot up and ran as fast as she could in the mud and rain to see what happened. She didn't know what she'd do if Snafu died. Someone else got there before she did and she stood a little ways away./p  
p style="text-align: left;""Hamm's dead." Eugene told the guy, who she couldn't make out. "And Peck's gone."/p  
p style="text-align: left;"Ipo felt relief and then immediate guilt. Hamm was a hero. A great one, one who wanted to save the world from the Nazis in any way that he could. He was too sweet and nice and pure. Now he was gone because Peck was the exact opposite of him. Peck was dragged away. Ipo stared down at him as they passed her and she barely heard her ordered to go rest. She turned back towards the rest of Second Squad when she couldn't see Peck any more and found Eugene staring at her. She didn't know what she was supposed to do. Did they want words of support? A shoulder to cry on? Ipo stared at the blood leaking out of the good man's mouth and realized she couldn't do much of anything. So, she turned around and went back under the tarp, a sick joke entering her mind./p  
p style="text-align: left;"Snafu could have a ham sandwich now if he wanted to try cannibalism./p  
p style="text-align: left;"Snafu and Eugene seemed to have broke from the death, just like she did. Ipo would have moments where her mind cleared up and she was fine again, just like always. It would last a couple of days before her mind would go back to its foggy state. She wanted to smack herself to wake herself up, but she didn't want to look even more crazy than she probably already did. So, one day, she pulled Eugene aside./p  
p style="text-align: left;""I need you to hit me." Ipo practically begged, "Just a smack on the cheek."/p  
p style="text-align: left;"Eugene, who was already annoyed that she had interrupted his brooding, snapped, "What?"/p  
p style="text-align: left;"Ipo rose her eyebrows, "Do you really want to ask questions?"/p  
p style="text-align: left;""I can't hit you, you're a..." He trailed off as if he forgot this whole time that she was a girl. Like the statement he was about to finish surprised him./p  
p style="text-align: left;"Ipo rolled her eyes, "Who cares? Please, Eugene, trust me."/p  
p style="text-align: left;"Eugene had an itching in his mind. A Dspan style="color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"é/spanjspan style="color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"à/span Vu feeling. This was not the first time she'd asked him to hurt her and the first time was very dire circumstances. Was this dire as well? He realized that when Ipo asked for someone to hurt her, it was for her own good. They may have been fighting like crazy, but Ipo was still his friend. He nodded, "... Okay."/p  
p style="text-align: left;"Ipo pulled him to an even more remote area before facing him and taking off her helmet. Her hair needed to be cut. It was frizzing out like an afro. She exhaled, "Okay. Hard across the-" A smack rang out and her head jerked to the side as Eugene hit her before she even finished the sentence. She blinked down at the dirt before looking at him, "Again." Eugene had no problems doing it. Ipo felt her mind sink back down into her body and she sighed in relief before looking at Eugene with a lazy smile, "Thanks."/p  
p style="text-align: left;"Eugene was staring down at his hand with his eyebrows furrowed, "... I liked that more than I think I should have."/p  
p style="text-align: left;"Ipo patted his shoulder, "That's why we're such good friends, Shark Bait. I ask, you do, and we both enjoy it."/p  
p style="text-align: left;""I don't want to enjoy it." Eugene sounded strained. She was a woman. Granted, she was mentally as far away from being a woman as possible, but physically she was a girl. She had breasts and bled once a month. Eugene hit a girl and liked it. He didn't know he was that fucked up./p  
p style="text-align: left;""It's just the war, Eugene." Ipo said, "I'm sure that in regular circumstances you'd be sick at the thought."/p  
p style="text-align: left;""Yeah..." He muttered, closing his hand into a fist to feel his nails digging into his skin, "The war."/p  
p style="text-align: left;"A bruise formed on her cheek, but her face was so dirty that it was unnoticeable. The change in her went unnoticed as well by everyone except Eugene, but that was probably because he was to one who caused it. Snafu's mind was melting from the war. He couldn't do much of anything. Sometimes, he'd lay his head in her lap in front of everyone and just stare out into space. No one said or did anything because that's how bad he looked. He'd cuddle with Ipo while they were sleeping because he truly believed that no one was getting off the island, so who fucking cared?/p  
p style="text-align: left;"Ipo did. She let it happen, but she was back to pushing him away every time he felt like he needed more contact. Every time Ipo felt like letting him kiss her or touching her just a little bit- just a skim-, she pulled Eugene aside and had him hit her. Neither of them thought of it as strange any more. Neither of them wondered why the other needed it so badly. Maybe it was Ipo that wanted to see her blood and brains spill out over her eyes instead of Eugene. Maybe Eugene was the one who needed to spill it./p  
p style="text-align: left;"They had rushed upon this village, conquering it. The Second Squad snuck in along side a tank just in case. They killed too many Japs climbing that hill. Eugene, Ipo, and Snafu were standing next to this little hut that reminded her too much of her home on Kauaspan style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center; background-color: #f8f9fa;"ʻ/spani when she heard it. This baby's cry. Ipo's eyes widened. She hadn't been tormented by it in a while, but it sounded so clear compared to the other times. She looked up at Eugene, whispering, "Do you hear that?"/p  
p style="text-align: left;"Eugene and Snafu turned their heads, listening. He gave a little nod and Ipo thought she'd be relieved, but the panic grew instead. "Might be a trap." Eugene said. Ipo's feet started moving in the direction before she had time to register. Eugene gripped her arm, stopping her, "Ipo, you have to stay out here."/p  
p style="text-align: left;""No." She responded./p  
p style="text-align: left;"His grip tightened. He wasn't afraid to not treat her as a delicate flower any more. Eugene spoke through gritted teeth, "You don't want to see it."/p  
p style="text-align: left;"Ipo yanked her arm away, "Yes, I fucking do." She hurried into the hut, not even thinking to pull her rifle and follow procedure. Eugene cursed and followed after her, Snafu right behind him. He saw Ipo standing in the door way, her face hard as she stared down at the thing crying. The baby that wore shorts and a cute shirt surrounded by his dead family members. He was crying so hard that she thought that he might be hungry. His mom probably died while trying to feed him, as her shirt was hanging open./p  
p style="text-align: left;""Ipo, go outside." Eugene demanded. He couldn't stop staring at it either. Ipo was waiting for it to whither and turn pink. To die underneath a pillow. But, it- he- was still there. Ipo stepped cautiously towards the baby, looking down. She didn't know why, but she expected him to look like span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center; background-color: #f8f9fa;"ʻ/spanAulispan style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center; background-color: #f8f9fa;"ʻ/spani when she was a baby. He didn't. His face was much fatter. Ipo crouched and reached out to him, ignoring Eugene's protest, and picked him up, cradling him. It was so surreal. Ipo began shushing him, singing quietly without realizing she was doing it until the baby stopped crying./p  
p style="text-align: left;""... Ipo?" Snafu asked, snapping her out of it./p  
p style="text-align: left;"Ipo looked up at them. They were staring at her like she was going to do something to the baby. Eugene had cause to, but Snafu didn't. It struck her soul. He thought she'd hurt the baby. It was like something was cleared from her mind, thrown out. She could think well again. Ipo cleared her throat, "I'll take him to an officer."/p  
p style="text-align: left;""Snafu, go with him." Eugene immediately ordered./p  
p style="text-align: left;""I'm fine, Eugene." Ipo said it with certainty, "You guys make sure this place is clear. That is an order." She walked passed them, still gently bouncing the baby that had fallen asleep./p  
p style="text-align: left;"Not even a second after Ipo left, Snafu looked at Eugene, "Why wouldn't he be okay with a baby?"/p  
p style="text-align: left;"Eugene looked down at Snafu. For a moment he wanted to tell him. Ipo was a girl. Eugene kicked her so hard that a two pound fetus came out. She smothered it with a pillow. Eugene wanted to say it, but his voice stuck in his throat and he knew that he never could, not even to Ipo. They shared the secret that was going to stay trapped in their minds forever, never to be spoken aloud. Instead, Eugene said, "... He just has a thing with babies, is all."/p  
p style="text-align: left;""What thing?"/p  
p style="text-align: left;""Christ, Snafu, ask him." Eugene snapped./p  
p style="text-align: left;"Ipo immediately ran into their new captain when she stepped outside. He had heard the cries and went to see what was going on. The day felt brighter and better with the baby in her arms. A whole, living, breathing, sleeping baby. Not a pinky. Not a fetus. A healthy baby. The hope that had been lost in her came tumbling back as the Captain took the baby from her./p  
p style="text-align: left;""You alright?" Snafu asked from beside her./p  
p style="text-align: left;"Ipo looked at him, her brown eyes a little brighter, "span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center; background-color: #f8f9fa;"ʻ/spanAe."/p  
p style="text-align: left;"Snafu was quiet for a moment. He wasn't stupid. He knew that Ipo and Eugene shared things with each other that he didn't know about. But, he wanted to know everything about Ipo. He needed to. Because he loved him. "Eugene said you had a thing with babies. Told me to ask you."/p  
p style="text-align: left;"Ipo sighed, "Can't tell that boy anything any more." One thing she's noticed about herself is that she was a lot better at lying when she felt better about herself. She grabbed Snafu's hand and pulled him in a spot next to the hut where other people couldn't see them. She let out a breath of air, "... I just said that... all of the babies who were getting hurt reminded me of span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center; background-color: #f8f9fa;"ʻ/spanAulispan style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center; background-color: #f8f9fa;"ʻ/spani and that... that I was feeling a little like- like I wanted to die. But, I don't feel that way any more." Ipo couldn't look at him while she was speaking./p  
p style="text-align: left;"Snafu stared at him. He didn't want him to want that. It hurt Snafu a little to know that he didn't want to stay alive for him. It was selfish to think that, but at that moment he knew that Ipo didn't really love him. At least, not as much as Snafu loved Ipo. He couldn't think about dying when he had Ipo to look at every day. Snafu wrapped his arms around Ipo and pulled him tight into his body, whispering into the Hawaiian's ear, "You can never die."/p  
p style="text-align: left;"Ipo furrowed her eyebrows as she hugged him back. He sounded strange. She kissed the spot right below his ear, "I love you." Snafu squeezed a bit harder before letting go and grabbing her face, connecting their lips. The lips that made everything better for a brief moment of time./p  
p style="text-align: left;"Snafu thought all of that, but he didn't know it was a lie./p  
p style="text-align: left;"A few minutes later, she noticed a change in Eugene, too. He let that kid go. If it were the day before, he would have shot that kid down. But, he lowered his weapon and almost beat up the man who did end the Jap's life. Ipo was watching the scene from next to Snafu a little ways away./p  
p style="text-align: left;""Eugene?" Ipo felt herself calling. He looked at her, her head tilted just a little as she asked, "Do you understand now?" She asked in almost a trance./p  
p style="text-align: left;"Anyone else wouldn't know what she meant. Snafu didn't, nor did the guys they were with. But, Eugene did. Ipo had told him the other day, reprimanding him, trying to make him understand. He did now. He had lost himself. He was human and, like Ipo had once told him, he needed to act like it. Eugene slowly nodded. Ipo gave an odd half-small before turning back to the small group she was in./p  
p style="text-align: left;"Eugene had to sit down./p  
p style="text-align: left;"About a week later, it was night and pouring down rain. Eugene, Snafu, and her were huddled under a tarp when Snafu said, "Sweetheart, I need to talk to you."/p  
p style="text-align: left;""Uh... Aren't you doing that right now?" She asked. She was using her bended knees as a pillow and she was trying to sleep./p  
p style="text-align: left;""Alone."/p  
p style="text-align: left;"Eugene scoffed, "And what am I supposed to do? Catch my death in the rain?"/p  
p style="text-align: left;""Come on." Snafu said, tugging on Ipo's arm. He wanted them to catch death, not Eugene. She went, anyway. The rain beat down hard against their helmets as they stood next to a small cliff. He put his hands on her shoulders and didn't wait before saying, "I want you to come to Louisiana with me."/p  
p style="text-align: left;"Ipo wasn't sure she heard him right, "... What?"/p  
p style="text-align: left;"Snafu licked his lips, although there was no way they were dry. He stepped closer to her, his grip tightening on her shoulders, "If we both make it through this, please. Please, come to Louisiana with me." He was begging, but his eyes were a lot more frantic than they used to be./p  
p style="text-align: left;"Ipo realized that he was completely serious. He was shaking and it couldn't have been from the rain because she was fine. Snafu was nervous. Ipo's heart started racing as too many reasons why she couldn't flung to her mind. "... Merriell, I can't."/p  
p style="text-align: left;"Snafu must have anticipated that answer as he said, "It's because of Inoke and span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center; background-color: #f8f9fa;"ʻ/spanAulispan style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center; background-color: #f8f9fa;"ʻ/spani, right?" The way he said their names would've been funny if this wasn't such a serious moment, "They can come, too. We can go get them. Ride the train all the way to California and get them. I know we're men, but I fuckin' love you and I don't think I can live without you."/p  
p style="text-align: left;"Although there was noise all around them, it was oddly quiet to her. Snafu grabbed her face in anticipation of her answer, trying to coax her into saying yes by stroking the water from her cheeks with his thumbs. It wasn't just span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center; background-color: #f8f9fa;"ʻ/spanAulispan style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center; background-color: #f8f9fa;"ʻ/spani and Inoke. It was her father. It was Aunty Iolana. It was the farm. It was her home. She loved Snafu, but she loved her family and home, too. Ipo didn't know what to do. "... Why don't you come to Kauaspan style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center; background-color: #f8f9fa;"ʻ/spani?" Her voice was quiet like she was in shock./p  
p style="text-align: left;"Snafu squeezed his eyes shut and dropped his helmet covered forehead against hers, " I can't be on an island again, Ipo. I can't. I have to get away from the Pacific. Please."/p  
p style="text-align: left;"It was like her mind went blank from the panic she was feeling. This was how she felt when Snafu first told her that he loved her. Absolute panic. She already knew her answer, though, "... I'm sorry. I can't."/p  
p style="text-align: left;"Snafu stepped even closer to her, their fronts pressed together, "It'll be fine, Ipo. Everything will work out, I promise." He was trying hard. Trying to make Ipo feel what he felt./p  
p style="text-align: left;"Ipo was trying hard not to cry because her saying 'no' meant that there was no future for them. When this was all over, they wouldn't have each other. Ipo gently grabbed his wrists and pulled his hands away from her face, whispering, "Please, don't be mad, Merriell. I can't go with you."/p  
p style="text-align: left;"Snafu's eyes were still closed tight and she thought that she could see him cry, but that might've been her imagination. He didn't respond. Ipo leaned up and kissed him and he kissed back because he always did. It didn't last very long before she pulled back and walked away from him, leaving him like a statue where he stood./p  
p style="text-align: left;"It was a long shot, he knew that, but he thought... He thought, if Ipo just had a little more time, then he could love Snafu just as much as Snafu loved him. They needed time by themselves without the war and Ipo would be able to see him instead of having to look at everything around them all the time. They'd be able to be together fully without the Marine Corp. breathing down their necks. Snafu just wanted to be with Ipo. That's it. He didn't give a shit about anything else. But, he said no. Ipo didn't want to be with him./p  
p style="text-align: left;"One hundred and eleven days. That's how long they were there before everything was fine. Ipo had stopped asking Eugene to hurt her. She was sure that he wouldn't feel so good about it any more, anyway. He snapped out of whatever it was that was infesting his brain, but it still held a special place in him. Her and Snafu didn't speak to each other at first, Snafu always wearing pain behind his eyes on his blank face. Ipo tried often to get him to speak with her. To let her explain or something. But, nothing she did or said worked. He just one day sat next to her in the foxhole, pulling her towards him in an embrace. It was awkward for everyone else. They tried to pretend that they didn't see it. He secretly held her hand or kissed her neck and started joking with her again./p  
p style="text-align: left;"Snafu had decided that he was going to enjoy Ipo while he could./p  
p style="text-align: left;"They were sitting on rocks. Snafu, Burgin, and her on one while Eugene had perched on top of a taller one. The Squad Leader and the Cajun had their shirts off and it was obvious that Eugene wanted to take his off, too, but he didn't want Ipo to be the odd one out. She had taken off her jacket, though; confident that her breasts wouldn't spontaneously spring out from under the wraps. She'd be so glad when she got to take them off./p  
p style="text-align: left;"They were talking about Haney and Leyden. Good things. Happy thoughts for once instead of all the death and destruction they were used to./p  
p style="text-align: left;"Burgin looked at Ipo's tattooed arm that was pressed up against his, "Jesus. That must've hurt."/p  
p style="text-align: left;"Ipo hummed, pulling up her sleeve to reveal the one on her upper bicep, "This one hurt more." It was the first time she willingly showed it while she was there. Snafu stared at it curiously. Seeing skin blacked out completely by a tattoo wasn't common where they were from./p  
p style="text-align: left;""Flowers?" Snafu teased, "Real manly."/p  
p style="text-align: left;"Burgin looked at him, "My grandpa had a flower tattoo. Fell off of a train and broke his back on the railroad track. He got up and walked away from it. How's that for manly?"/p  
p style="text-align: left;"They were ordered to move out, then. They were leaving Okinawa. Ipo waited for Eugene, staring at the pipe in his mouth, "Ready, Popeye?"/p  
p style="text-align: left;""That wasn't funny the first time." He was smiling, though./p  
p style="text-align: left;"They were told about the bomb. A whole city gone up and no one realized that it wasn't Japanese soldiers that they had killed. It was regular citizens. Women, children, men. All who wanted nothing to do with the war. Just like when the planes Kamikazed Ospan style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center; background-color: #f8f9fa;"ʻ/spanahu. All's fair in love and war./p  
p style="text-align: left;"That saying made her sick./p  
p style="text-align: left;"strong~~~ A/N ~~~/strong/p  
p style="text-align: left;"Songs mentioned in this chapter: Aloha span style="background-color: #f8f9fa; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;"ʻOe, Girl With One Eye - Florence and the Machine. English Translations:/span/p  
p style="text-align: left;"emspan style="background-color: #f8f9fa; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;"Todoru/span/emspan style="background-color: #f8f9fa; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;"- Follow/span/p  
p style="text-align: left;"emspan style="background-color: #f8f9fa; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;"Kepan/span/emspan style="background-color: #fff9f1; font-family: Arial; font-size: medium;"emī/em- Japanese/span/p  
p style="text-align: left;"span style="background-color: #fff9f1; font-family: Arial; font-size: medium;"emHaole/em- Caucasian/span/p


	6. Chapter 6

**~~~ A/N ~~~**

 **English translations at the bottom.**

When Ipo first heard that the war was over she, like many of the other Marines, didn't jump with joy and cheer like they were expected to. Some did, but the select few who couldn't believe it just sat quietly, trying to let the statement sink into their minds. The war was over. No more fighting. No more killing. Ipo sat on her cot, her hair that she had special permission grow out was tied in a knot and stuffed under a green regulation hat. Her eyebrows were furrowed as she stared down at the dirt beneath her boots, her mouth slightly parted. The war was over. The Japs surrendered.

"This calls for a fuckin' party." She heard Snafu say, muffled from the cigarette between his teeth.

"This can't be right." Ipo muttered to herself.

The tent was quiet for a bit before Eugene asked, "... Why?"

"Because... I don't feel better. I'm supposed to. By the time the war was done, I was supposed to feel better." Ipo stared down at her hands, expecting them to look different- smoother, maybe- all because she heard the words, "The war is over."

"... You ain't never gonna feel better, Ipo." Eugene told her. He didn't say it rudely, he just wanted her to know the truth. It wasn't like he believed it, either, but they were Marines and Marines did what they were told and they were told that the war was over.

Men began drinking the supply of alcohol like they were kakalina tanks. Smoking like chimneys. Ipo refused drinks time and time again. "Why don't you just have a little sip?" Burgin asked when they sat up on the rocks, looking up at the night sky and waiting for the fireworks that they said they were going to shoot off. Ipo didn't even know they had fireworks.

"I got drunk one time when I was fourteen." She said, "Did some fucked up shit. Never touched a drop since."

"What'd you do?" Snafu asked.

Ipo shook her head, "You don't want to know."

A warning was shouted before the firework was lit and it burst into the sky, popping into a bright red color. Ipo jumped a little, but she wasn't the only one. It was awkwardly quiet on the rock, so Snafu stood up, pointing to the night sky, "You see that? The line of stars anglin' up?"

"Yep." Burgin answered.

"That's Snafu's Pecker."

Ipo was about to make a sarcastic remark when their Lieutenant came stumbling up, "Hey, boys."

"You got a nice party goin' on down there, Lieutenant." Burgin said.

He pointed at the commotion with the bottle of alcohol, "A little victory party. Can't believe it's over. Sort of a... 'What do you do now?'" He must've wanted Second Squad to feel included. He handed the bottle to Eugene, "Here. Have a little VJ Day party of your own." Eugene handed it to Ipo, who handed it to Burgin.

"Thanks, Lieutenant." Burgin said, not forgetting his manners.

"" _What do we do now_?"" Snafu muttered to himself, "What an idiot."

"Well," Burgin unscrewed the lid to the bottle, "I can show you what I'm doing now." He took a few long gulps.

"Careful." Ipo said as another flare went up into the sky, "You're going to fall off."

He took the bottle away from his mouth and had trouble swallowing, "Well, there it is. My first official act of peace time." He passed the bottle to Snafu.

"I can tell you what I'm going to do." Ipo said, "I'm going to go to yet another island that's infested with yet another branch of government and even more Japanese where I'm going to relieve my little brother- who absolutely hates me, by the way- of his duties as head of house." She didn't sound happy about it because she wasn't. Every time she thought about it she got a little queasy. Ipo would never be able to surf again without picturing the islands that share the same ocean or how many bodies were on them. How many were put there by her.

"I'm sure your brother doesn't hate you." Eugene told her, taking the pipe out of his mouth.

Ipo chuckled, wiping her forehead, "You should've seen the last letter he sent me." Ipo deepened her voice even more than she usually did to imitate her brother, "' _I'm not saying it's your job, Ipo, but it is_.' Blah, blah, blah."

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to." Snafu said. He was staring at her, trying to convince her again.

She sighed deeply, "... Yes, I do."

Eugene patted her shoulder, "Well, if you ever get tired of it, you could always come to Mobile."

"Thanks, Shark Bait. I think I'll take that alcohol now."

Snafu happily held it out to her, but Eugene pushed it away, "Sorry, but for everyone's sake, I think it's best if you don't." Eugene didn't know what she did when she was younger, but he did know that she might let loose that some secrets. and he let her know that by the look he was giving her. Ipo gave a nod and looked back down at the party.

"You still going to do everything Sledgehammer tells you to?" Snafu asked. He was getting mad at Ipo. Angry that he didn't seem as devastated by the fact that they would never see each other again as Snafu was. Angry that Ipo didn't give a shit.

"Yeah." Ipo answered without hesitation. Everyone except Snafu thought that was pretty funny as they chuckled.

"Well, I got to go to the head." Burgin said, sliding off the rock.

"I just want to go to bed." Eugene stated, going with Burgin.

Ipo didn't want to be left alone with Snafu. Not right then. She was afraid that she was going to change her mind or that he was going to start shaking from desperation again. So, Ipo climbed off the rock as well, going to follow Eugene into the tent. She didn't make it two steps before her arm was grabbed and Snafu dragged her behind the rock, out of sight. He threw her against it a little roughly and didn't give her time to recover before he began kissing her. She tasted the alcohol on his breath and it mixed strangely with the tobacco he always tasted of. Snafu grabbed her waist and squeezed, leaving bruises before he tried grinding his erection against where she was supposed to have one. Ipo pushed him away a little, enjoying him so much, but she couldn't let him know. The war was over, but he still couldn't know.

Snafu gripped her wrists and slammed them on the rock next to her head as he kissed her neck, muttering, "I need to touch you. I just want to feel you."

"Merriell, no." Ipo said, trying to yank her hands out of his grip. It seemed like the alcohol made him a lot stronger. Snafu kissed her mouth, moaning a little. It made her relax some. It made her become distracted as he changed his hands so that only one was holding her wrists and the other went down, fumbling with her belt. Ipo was shocked away from him and she yanked her hands free, trying to shove him away, "Snafu, stop."

"I need you. I love you." He whined as he pushed her further into the rock. Ipo was in full-blown panic and she mustered all the strength she could to shove him away, sending him to the ground.

But not before he felt it.

He had shoved his hand down her pants and his middle finger slipped in between the lips that weren't supposed to be there and he felt the wetness within. With shaking fingers and a pounding heart, Ipo did her belt back up as Snafu stared down at his hand in confusion. She must have fumbled with her belt just long enough for him to realize what had happened. What she was.

"... You're a girl." Snafu said softly, not looking away from his hand.

Ipo gulped, breathing heavy as she said, "Please, Snafu-"

"You're a fucking girl?!" He barked at her, stumbling as he stood. Ipo didn't know what to do, didn't know what to say other than to beg him to not saying anything. The party was too loud on the other side of the rock for them to hear him practically scream, "This whole time? You- you were..." He gripped his hair, turning away.

Ipo took a step towards him, whispering, "Snafu-"

"You stay right fucking there!" He yelled, pointing at her. He was angry. Really, really enraged. She knew he would be. She knew it. "You fucking lied to me! This... This is a really big thing to not tell someone that you say you're in love with!"

"I couldn't, Merriell, you know that!" Ipo said before he interrupted her again. He had to understand.

Snafu walked quickly towards her, but she could back up any more into the rock, "Does Sledge know? I bet he fuckin' does. You two always share secrets, isn't that right?" He was right in her face, their noses almost touching. Snafu had fire in his eyes, too, and it was orange. She was actually afraid that he was going to hit her. "Do you know how much I hated myself?" He asked. He wasn't yelling any more, "I was disgusted with myself for how I felt about you, do you know that?"

"I'm sorry." She said, she was looking down. She wasn't sorry for not telling him. She wasn't sorry for doing what she had to. She was sorry that he didn't figure it out like Eugene did. She was sorry that he had to feel that way.

Snafu backed away from her, "You're _sorry_. I am, too. For wasting my fucking time with you."

He started to walk away, but Ipo had to retaliate, "Isn't this what you wanted?" She yelled at him, "I'm a girl. Congratulations, you're not a fucking queer!"

Snafu turned to look at her, "No. It's not what I fucking wanted." His voice cracked in the middle before he turned at walked out of sight.

Ipo felt like she was in shock, but her mind was going a mile a minute. He was going to turn her in. He wasn't going to love her any more. She was a lying waste of a person. She fell into the sand and dragged her knees to her chest, crying into them. Ipo was weak and she was pathetic, sitting there crying instead of chasing after him and making sure his mouth stayed shut.

Snafu just thought that if he had touched Ipo, made him- _her_ \- feel good, then he - _she_ \- wouldn't want to leave him. Ipo would want to stay with him and never leave, just like he wanted to be with him- _her_. Her. Her. Ipo was a her, a she, a girl, a woman. This whole time. They fought together like men, treated each other like men. Ipo had been so convincing. She looked like a she and sounded like a her, but she had acted like a man so well that all those other things didn't matter. Snafu didn't even think he actually knew Ipo. Was anything she said to him true? Or did he fall in love with some made up person?

If Snafu wasn't so angry, he would cry.

He didn't have any where else to go but inside the tent, where he saw Eugene lounging in his bunk, reading that book that he go out of the trash months ago like nothing just happened. Like Snafu's heart wasn't just ripped out and spit on. His anger flared and he stormed over to Eugene, who looked up just in time to say, "Hey, Snaf-" Before the Cajun grabbed Eugene's collar and began shaking him.

"Did you know?" He yelled into his face, "Did you fucking know?"

Eugene tried to push him off. He knew what Snafu was talking about. He don't know how it happened, whether Ipo told him now that the war was over or Snafu figured it out, but he was now in on it. Snafu saw that Eugene knew what he was talking about and he punched him hard on the cheek. Eugene shoved him off and stood, "That's enough, Snafu!" He yelled. Both of them were breathing heavily, Eugene with a swollen cut on his cheek.

Both of them were ready and prepared to fight, but Eugene pointed to the cot next to Snafu, not caring whose it was, "Sit. Down." Snafu contemplated for a moment on whether or not to charge at him again, but Eugene's expression made it seem like he would be ready for it and he would beat Snafu's ass. Snafu did what he was told, sitting so that his back was to Eugene. The redhead stood there for a minute, trying to get rid of his own anger. His guess was that Snafu wanted to hit someone and, since he couldn't hit girls, Eugene was the next best candidate. Although, he didn't know why. Snafu's hit her before and she was a girl then, as well. He didn't know she was, but Eugene didn't want to think about that because Eugene has hit her a lot of times and he's always known. He didn't want to feel like a bad guy.

Eugene sat down on the foot of the bed, his back facing Snafu. They were quiet for a long time, the only light source in the tent being the oil lamp by Eugene's bed. It was like a power play, both of them seeing who can sit in silence the longest.

"... Are you gonna tell?" Eugene spoke first, rubbing at the knuckle of his middle finger with his thumb.

It felt like an eternity before Snafu answered, "What's the point? War's over."

Eugene wasn't relieved, however. He was angry that Snafu just attacked him, "Where's Ipo?"

"Left him... her... at the rock." Saying it out loud felt like poison in his mouth.

" _Him_." Eugene said, "Ipo's a 'him' until we're clear of the Marines, understand?"

"How long have you known?"

"Ever since bootcamp. I figured it out."

Snafu looked at him, "Why didn't you say anything?" He wanted to know why, if Eugene knew and could've stopped Ipo from even coming there, he didn't turn her in.

Eugene sighed, "Because... I knew how bad it felt to want to fight, but you can't because of some stupid physical condition." Snafu was silent then and Eugene knew he had to go to Ipo. That's what friends were for. He stood, looking down at Snafu, "Know that it was for his own good that he didn't tell you." He couldn't bring himself to refer to her as a woman out loud, "And I will do absolutely anything for him. That includes making sure he never goes to prison." Eugene walked away, but was stopped by Snafu's words.

"Did he ever love me?"

Snafu sounded so broken, but Eugene couldn't answer him. It wasn't his place to. He just walked out of the tent to find Ipo. He didn't know that his lack of an answer would crush Snafu's soul because, to him, a lack of an answer meant ' _no_ '.

Eugene had found Ipo exactly where Snafu said he left her. She was sitting in the sand on the beach, staring out at the tide as it ran away and came rushing back. It was too dark to see her face very clearly, but he thought it was puffy. She had been crying. She only did that when she was feeling completely gone. Eugene sat down next to her and they didn't speak to each other. He didn't know how long they were sitting there. They heard the party die down as the marines were ordered to get some shut-eye. It was only when Eugene thought that they were going to have a search party after them did he speak.

"He's not going to say anything."

"You know already?"

"He came in and punched me."

"Are you okay?" Ipo's voice was quiet and sounded a bit empty.

"Just wish you guys kept your domestics to yourself." It was meant to be a joke, but it was bad timing.

"Domestics?"

"Fights."

"Oh." They were quiet again for a moment before Ipo explained what happened. He tried not to feel angry at Snafu for not getting off of her when she told him to. Ipo didn't seem angry that he did that. It might've been because she was too saddened by the fight that came afterwards.

"He'll understand." Eugene said, "I'm sure of it. But, right now, we have to get back to the tent before we get in trouble."

Ipo wanted to refuse and bury herself under the sand, but Eugene was right. She stood up with his help and they went back to the tent. Ipo walked quickly passed Snafu's bunk like the lump under the blanket was going to shoot out at her like a monster under the bed. She laid on her side to face Eugene and pulled her blanket to her chin. She wasn't going to be able to sleep. Ipo was too busy thinking. She did love Snafu, of course she did. The way he made her feel was no lie. But, just because he told Eugene that he was going to keep it a secret doesn't mean he would.

The war was over, but the fight was not.

Ipo thought that when it was all done, they'd immediately take a ship back home and pretend it never happened. But, no. They were ordered to go to Peking, which was in China. She didn't understand why they had to. What was the point? They were fighters, not peace keepers. The good thing about Peking was that it wasn't an island and there wasn't any ocean for miles around. She never thought in her entire life that she'd want to be away from it. Ipo kept a memory in the forefront of her mind that she'd drift off to when she needed to be away.

"Why do you keep spacing out?" Eugene asked her one time while they were trying to play cards. It had been her turn for some time and he had to snap his fingers in front of her face to get her attention.

Ipo blinked, "... Just... remembering, is all."

"Remembering what?"

"Not important."

"I'm ordering you to tell me." Eugene had been promoted to Corporal, which meant that she wasn't the boss of him any more. In a literal sense, anyway. During the ceremony, Ipo had been loud and obnoxious, clapping and whooping before she was threatened with the brig.

Ipo sighed, rubbing at her tired eyes. She still wasn't sleeping well. Ipo muttered her answer, "Back on Kauaʻi, there's this waterfall. It's about a mile walk from my house. There's a rainbow. It... It only shows up really early in the morning so you have to leave my house at about three, but... It's worth it. Especially when you're there by yourself and the air is fresh and you can hear the birds and the water splashing into the loko- lake, the lake. It's very... peaceful."

Eugene listened quietly and politely, "Are you excited to go back?"

"... No."

Eugene knew how she felt. He didn't feel too great about the approaching discharge date. Being in Peking was strange enough. They went out with a liberty pass twice and it was weird to walk around with civilians who looked too much like the people that they were just slaughtering. It was unimaginable what it'd be like with citizens from Mobile. "... Me, neither." He had said.

Things with Snafu... It wasn't even remotely good. One day, they were all together, laughing and having a good time when Snafu suddenly stood and walked off. Burgin watched him go, shaking his head, "What's up with you two? Ever since the war ended, ya'll haven't even looked at each other. Did you break up or something?" Ipo stared at him before getting up as well and heading inside of the building they were housed in. There was this great hall that held all of their bunks and there was a bathroom with actual plumbing.

Burgin looked at Eugene, "I just put my foot in my mouth, didn't I?"

"Yep." Eugene answered.

Snafu and Ipo. Sore, sore, sore subject. Two days after the revealed secret, they were on a ship to mainland China. It was close quarters, but Snafu had still found a way to avoid her. Ipo saw the way his fists clenched every time he even heard her voice. He didn't talk to anyone. Not even to make sarcastic remarks. Everyone acted a little strangely after the war, so people thought that that was just his way of coping. Snafu still sat with Burgin, Eugene, and Ipo when he wasn't busy being by himself because he didn't have any other friends. Ipo tried to stay quiet when he was there, wanting him to feel like she didn't exist. She had tried, at first, to speak to him. To explain. Because he didn't seem to be understanding like Eugene said he would. It was when they had first gotten to Peking when she finally cornered him. He had went into the bathroom and Ipo waited a second before following him in.

He had been in the middle of undoing his pants when he looked up and saw it was her. Snafu rolled his eyes, zipping his pants back up and went to go around her when she blocked him. He backed away from her, hands raised in the air like her skin was made of acid. His gaze was on the floor as she said, "Snafu, we have to talk about it." He tried to walk around her, but she stepped in his way, placing her hands on his hips to make him stay.

Snafu grabbed her wrists and squeezed so hard that she thought her wrists were going to crack before he slammed her back into the wall. He looked like he was going to say something, but he let go instead, heading again for the door. Ipo needed him to understand. She need him to hug her and tell her it was okay. Ipo grabbed the back of Snafu's shirt and yanked him back, throwing him against the wall opposite of her, "You know I couldn't tell you!" She almost yelled. She had to say it before he tried to leave again because, if he did, she wouldn't stop him, "If you loved me like you said you did, you would've told and I would've been sent to prison. Don't say you wouldn't have because I know." Snafu stood there, looking down past her legs. "You can't hold that against me."

"What else did you lie about?" His voice was so quiet and he didn't even move a muscle, "I need to know."

Ipo stared at him for a moment. She had been preparing herself for a fight and she didn't expect him to sound so... broken. "... Okay." She nodded, stepping away from him, "Okay. Anything about me being a man, obviously. I do have a sister and a brother and my father really is in a madhouse and my mother was killed at Pearl Harbor and my name really is Ipo Kaheikekonikoni."

"Lies, Ipo." Snafu said. He hugged himself around the middle, "Tell me the lies."

She was beginning to feel panicky, "Um... Annalise! You remember Annalise? She didn't know about you and me. She knew that I was a girl and she really was blackmailing me into being with her."

Snafu squeezed his eyes shut. He had thought that his own career was in jeopardy. She let him feel that way.

Ipo continued, "I was going to tell Burgin that I was a girl, but he jumped to conclusions before I got the words out, so I let him think that I was a homosexual."

"Are you?" Snafu spat, "You had your fingers in Annalise pretty deep."

"I had to act like a God damn man, Merriell. You're telling me that you wouldn't have done the same?" Ipo paused for a second before saying, "And, yeah. I do sometimes... get attracted to women, but I'm not fucking gay and I really wasn't into that psychotic bitch."

"Oh my God." Snafu muttered, gripping the curls on his head.

Ipo gulped, "And..."

"Jesus fucking Christ, there's more?" Snafu stood away from the wall and began pacing in front of her.

"Just this last thing, I promise."

"Your promises don't mean shit." He snapped at her.

"Just shut the fuck up." She snapped back. She placed her hand on the top of her head, wanting to run her hand through her hair, but it was up in a short frizzy ponytail. She'd been getting a lot of shit for it, but she just keeps saying it's a cultural thing. Snafu stopped walking and stared at her, waiting for her to spit out the truth. But, her throat kept closing up, "... You remember... those bruises on my stomach." Snafu gave an impatient nod. Ipo's chest tightened and she stared at him. She needed to spit out the words or he'd never love her again. Her breathing quickened and she realized that she couldn't. She couldn't ever talk about it again. Ipo dropped her head, shaking it, her voice weak, "I can't. I'm sorry, I can't."

"Oh, fuck this." Snafu angrily went to the door.

"Merriell, I love you!"

But, it was too late. He was gone.

They didn't talk again after that. Eugene had offered to tell him for her, but she could see in his eyes that he didn't want to admit to what they'd done. She told him that she'd tell him when she was ready. If they even had enough time left together for that to happen. On New Years Eve, they all were offered Liberty Passes and were told that if not every single one of them were back by one, then they'd all spend a week in the brig. Ipo didn't want to go, but she thought of something that she wanted to get. Almost everyone went to bars to get shit-faced. The Chinese didn't have the same New Years as them. It was always on a different day. The Japanese in Hawaii always celebrated it and friends and neighbors were always invited. It was a sight to see.

"Why are we even out here?" Eugene muttered, trying not to bump into any of the civilians shopping at different markets or selling things from carts. There were children running around and laughing in the streets.

"To celebrate!" Burgin said, spreading his arms for some type of emphasis. Ipo and Eugene just stared at him, unimpressed. Snafu had ditched them at the first bar he saw. Burgin rose his eyebrows, "Are you two going to join me in this fine drinking establishment?" He pointed to the bar where most of the U.S. Marines were. Eugene and Ipo looked at each other before shaking their heads. Burgin chuckled, "You do realize that you guys are not actually attached at the hip, right?"

Ipo wrapped her arm around Eugene and pulled him into her side, "Are, too." Eugene had no problems shoving her away. They all laughed and the twins parted ways with Burgin.

Eugene immediately looked down at Ipo, "Seriously, why are we here? It's cold."

Ipo rolled her eyes and began walking, "I told you that you didn't have to come with me."

"And leave you out here on your own?"

Ipo stopped walking, almost making him run into her, and turned to him, "I'm safer on my own than you would be on yours."

He blinked, "Good point." Eugene thought that that was the reason, but he was sure it was because just being away from her for long periods of time felt weird. They'd been side by side for years now. He wondered what it'd be like when she was on Kauaʻi and he was in Alabama. He'd probably turn to say something to her or think of things he'd want to show her, but he wouldn't be able to do either of those things.

"Anyway," Ipo said as she began walking again, Eugene following, "I just... want to get a Christmas present. For Snafu."

"You're about five days late." Eugene informed her.

"Better late than never, right? I'm just running out of ideas on how to get him to stop... being a huge fucking asshole." Ipo said as she peaked in through the window of a shop to see the items inside.

Eugene chuckled, "I'm sure calling him that will have him running back into your arms in no time."

"It's just so... what's that word that means annoying and, uh, angry-ing?" She asked as she entered the shop.

Eugene blinked, "... Frustrating?"

"Yeah! That one."

The shop keeper loudly and happily greeted them, asking with a grin, "I help?"

Ipo smiled and shook her head while waving her hand a bit. She knew he didn't understand English, but she still said, "No, thank you." He smiled and nodded before doing what looked like his books for the store.

"You have to understand his side, too." Eugene said quietly as Ipo looked at a pyramid shaped display of different little knick-knacks.

"Really? Tell me, Shark Bait, what is his side?"

"The love of his life has lied to him about everything since they day they met." Eugene dead-panned, picking up a box that had a red flower painted on it and looking inside of it.

Ipo tried not to hang on the first five words of that sentence, "... Not everything. Not about who I am. Inside."

"Technically-"

"Shut up, Eugene." Ipo muttered before he could finish, walking over to the shelves lining the wall, "You want me to understand his side, but he's not understanding mine. He doesn't realize that-" Ipo stared down at a piece of jewelry that caught her eye.

"Realize what?" Eugene asked, looking up from the puzzle box he was trying to solve. He walked over as she picked up the ring and ran her thumb over the angry face of the Chinese Dragon that was carved in the front. The mouth shape and the angle of the eyes reminded her of her Pele tiki tattoo.

"Realize that, even though I love him, I am broken." She muttered more to herself than to her friend.

Eugene looked at the side of her face. She went somewhere in her mind at that moment and he knew where. He didn't know which, but he knew where. It was one of the many moments when her soul was fractured. He wasn't going to tell her that she wasn't broken because she was. All of them were. He looked at the ring, "... Is that the right one?"

"I think so." Ipo said, grinning up at Eugene like she hadn't just left, "I think I need to put it on a chain, though. I don't know how men are with rings. If he even accepts it. Maybe he'll throw it in the trash. Either way, he'll know that I'm trying... Right?" She was rambling. She was nervous.

"Hey, if a girl bought me a ring, I'd think she wanted to get married. I'd say that's trying."

Ipo stared at it a moment longer. Married? Did she want Snafu to think that? Did she want to think that? Ipo's eyebrows furrowed. She kept saying that she loved him, but did she love him enough to pledge her life to him? She would. Ipo would marry Snafu. Eugene casually referred to Ipo as the love of Snafu's life, but would he marry her?

She believed he would marry her. Or, he would've before... Before.

"Here's a chain." Eugene said, picking up a silver chain necklace that was hanging from a jewelry holder that looked like a woman's silhouette. Ipo snapped out of her thoughts and took the chain, slipping the ring onto it. They went up to the shopkeeper and Ipo smiled at him, placing the jewelry on the counter.

"Marine?" He asked. Ipo nodded. He smiled, "Free for Marine."

Ipo shook her head, "No-"

"Yes, yes!" He smiled, putting it into a small red paper bag and handing it to her before she could protest again. Ipo thanked him and shook his hand before they left the shop. It was dark out, almost midnight.

"You want to find him and give it to him?" Eugene asked as he looked at all the lanterns that lit up the cobblestone street and the closing shops that lined it.

"No way." Ipo said, "I'll slip it under his pillow or something like the Tooth Fairy." Like she did with the black stone that he still sometimes fingered inside his pocket.

"Pussy." Eugene said, "We don't have to be back for a couple of hours. You want to go look at the lake?"

"Do you?" She asked, already heading towards the lake that was in the middle of a park a couple streets away.

"Actually," Eugene said, following after her, "I never wanted to leave my cot. I'm already doing things I don't want to."

"Man, I wish you weren't such a crybaby." Ipo said.

"Me? _I'm_ the crybaby?"

"Yeah."

They made it to the lake and Ipo sat down in the cold grass as Eugene searched for rocks to skip across the water. The stones made a 'tick'-'tick'-'bloop' noise to fill up the long lasting silence. It was comfortable and relaxing, the cold wind was a nice change of pace from insufferable heat that they suffered from for years.

"What the hell am I supposed to do when I get home?" Eugene asked. He was staring at the dark water, that unhappy look sinking into his eyes.

"You're going to go to college, become a doctor or something equally successful, and marry a beautiful girl who'll be happy to bear all of your children."

"... That sounds..."

"Too ordinary?"

"Yeah."

Ipo looked up at him, "Do what you love, man. Who cares what anyone else says? You've paid your debts. Did your duty. You need to take care of yourself."

Eugene scoffed, "You don't know my parents."

Ipo sighed, "Families..." They always got in the way. That was a terrible thought. She felt bad immediately and stood, "Can we go back now?"

"Finally, you have a good idea." Eugene said with a grin, looking down at his watch, "It's midnight. Happy New Year."

Ipo looked around. There was no one there. No one in this country cared about January First, "Wanna kiss?"

"What?" Eugene said with a laugh. Ipo jerked on the front of his shirt and connected their lips, awkwardly trying to dip him like men always did with women, but he was too tall and heavy, so she ended up dropping him on the ground. He landed hard on his back, letting out an 'oof' as Ipo stood above him, laughing.

"You bastard." Eugene said, sitting up on one of his elbows while rubbing the back of his head where there wasn't even a bump. He was just being dramatic. He was laughing, though. Ipo helped him up and Eugene dusted the grass off of his pants, "Snafu's going to kill me."

"What?" Ipo laughed as they started walking back to the barracks, "Why?"

"You just kissed me!" Eugene exclaimed like she had gone insane.

Ipo scrunched up her face in confusion, "But, you're my friend. You don't kiss your friends?"

Eugene shook his head, laughing in disbelief, "I guess I do now."

"Haven't you guys ever heard of Aloha? Jesus, maybe that's why everyone's beating on each other all the time."

"No offense, Ipo, but you are the one who always beats on people... the..." He had heard these noises coming from the alley they were passing and what he saw made him stop in his tracks. Ipo stopped next to him and looked to where he was looking. Ipo's lips parted as she watched Snafu rub his mouth against a local woman's feverishly while grinding against her. This wasn't friend kissing. This was...

Ipo closed her mouth and tensed her jaw, throwing down the gift she had gotten, accidentally hitting Eugene's foot, before she marched into the alley. Eugene didn't stop her. Ipo grabbed the back of his jacket and threw him down on the ground. He easily went down. He was drunk off of his ass. She punched him hard twice in the nose, feeling the satisfying cracking and the blood on her knuckles. He shouted out, covering his face as she stood up, breathing a little heavily. Ipo turned to the young Chinese woman, who had screamed at the sudden attack and was now cowering against the brick wall, and gently fixed her small jacket, situating it back over her shoulders.

"Have a nice night." Ipo told her before walking out of the alley, stepping right on the pretty red bag on her way to their building. Eugene watched as she started running until she was out of sight.

Eugene looked back into the alley as the woman crouched down next to Snafu, trying to help him, cooing at him. Snafu was up on his elbow, trying to stop the bleeding from his nose while staring at Eugene. The blood flow was heavier than usual because of all the liquor in his system.

Snafu looked up at the woman cradling him, wonder in his voice, "You're not Ipo?"

Eugene held out a handkerchief to Snafu before sitting down on the curb next to him. The Cajun took it and held it to his nose, tilting his head back as he spoke nasally, "I wondered why she was so pale."

"And wearing a dress?" Eugene asked and he put a cigarette in his mouth. He didn't really like cigarettes, but he left his pipe back at the barracks, where he should've been comforting an obviously very upset Ipo. But, Snafu had looked so confused and out of it that Eugene felt he needed sympathy.

"Ipo broke my nose. Again." Snafu tried to make it sound like that was the part of this whole situation that bothered him.

"If you'd just quit pissing him off, then-"

"We're. Not. Together." Snafu interrupted him almost angrily, "Not any more. I can kiss who I want."

"Yeah, you are." Eugene said. Them not being together was ridiculous.

"We're not!" Snafu snapped, wincing at the sharp pain, "I can't be with him- her. Ipo's a liar and I fuckin' hate liars."

"Is that why you hate yourself, then?"

"I hate myself because I thought I was in love with a man." Drunk Snafu couldn't really control what he let out of his mouth. He rose his eyebrows, "But, he's not a man. And he's still lying."

Eugene clenched his jaw for a second before putting out his cigarette, "... You're caught up on the bruises on his stomach."

Snafu's eyes slid to look at Eugene before he rolled them ,"Of course you know."

"Yeah, I know. Because I gave them to her." 'Her' jerked out of his mouth oddly. He'd only ever referred to Ipo as a him except in thought. It felt unnatural.

Snafu turned to him, disbelief on his face, "... Why would you do that?" He said it with a bit of sarcasm.

Eugene couldn't look at him, "She wanted me to."

Snafu didn't know if it was because he couldn't see straight, but Eugene looked like he was telling the truth, "Why would...?"

Eugene finally looked at Snafu, his bruised and bloody face forgotten by the wearer as it scrunched up in even more confusion. Eugene's eyes were steal, "I asked her if she wanted me to tell you and, you know... I'm glad she said no. Because I don't think I can ever say it. I don't even want to think about it. You need to know that the same goes for her. There's a good reason she can't tell you yet and you need to drop it. Forget about it." Eugene looked down at his watch. He had thirty minutes to get back to the barracks. He plucked up the red bag from beside him and held it out to Snafu, "She's been trying so hard to win you back. Here. It's a late Christmas present from her."

Eugene stood after Snafu took the bag and was staring down at it, mystified, "I'm going back now. Sober up before you come back." He walked away then, worried about what Ipo might think about him not immediately running after her.

Snafu cautiously opened the bag, Eugene's words that seemed too loud rattling through his head. He peeked at the tarnished silver thing at the bottom and reached in, taking it out. It was a ring on a chain. He squinted at the design of the ring, trying to blink away the blurriness to make it out. Snafu then laughed, grinning from ear to ear, "What's Pay-Lay doin' in China?" Besides being on Ipo's arm, anyway. The smile slowly slid from his face as he stared at it. He didn't feel like he messed up. Can't mess up what was already beyond fucked. Snafu understood. He understood that there were some things that were so bad that they could never be spoken of again. He knew he wouldn't say jack shit about the war to anyone.

But, when Ipo had those bruises, they were on Pavuvu. There weren't any enemies at home base. So, what happened? Snafu wished Ipo was with him at that moment to hold him and tell him that everything was alright because he felt like nothing was alright. He still had that nagging in his mind that Ipo was too good at lying. That he- she- was just playing with him because she could've been that type of person for all he knew. Snafu suddenly started sobbing, clutching the necklace to his chest as he buried his face into his knees. He didn't want this to happen. He didn't want to be with anyone. He didn't want to be in love. Snafu would've been happy to die alone. That was before Ipo.

Snafu almost wished that he would've been struck down before he knew so that he could go to his grave with the perfect idea of a person in his heart, but he never was that lucky.

When Ipo had arrived back at the barracks, it was hard for Burgin to not notice her breathing heavily and scrubbing blood off of her knuckles in the bathroom. "You didn't kill a local, did you?" He chuckled. He wasn't that smashed. Only a little tipsy.

"Shouldn't everyone be in bed right now?" Ipo muttered, drying her hands on her pants. Almost all of the men were back in the barracks and they were being loud, singing some songs of celebration that were born and raised on Mainland, U.S.A.

"It's New Years. I think they deserve a little fun."

Ipo turned to him. He was leaning against the door frame for support, "Then, do you mind if I find somewhere else to sleep for the night? I swear I'll be back by roll call. Although, I don't think half of these guys will even wake up from the reverie."

Burgin waved her off, "Sure, go ahead. Oh, where's Sledgehammer?"

"I don't know. We're not attached at the hip." Ipo walked passed him and gathered up her pillow and her blanket as Burgin laughed at her. Eugene was probably trying to escort Snafu back here. Out of all the times he could've been a good guy, now was not one. She bade a good night to Burgin before venturing out of the great hall. Technically, they were never allowed any where else in the building because it was public, but a lot of the Marines would sneak around anyway.

Ipo was not one of them.

She could've slept outside in the lawn, but it was January and it could snow at any moment. Ipo walked down the quiet wooded hallway floors, looking at all the doors that seemed to be offices. When's the last time she saw offices? When she enlisted? Ipo didn't think the tents of higher-ups counted as offices. At the end of the hall was a staircase that led to the second floor. She tilted her head while staring at it. It bewildered her, how she could stare up it and not see the floor above. It was a complete mystery up there. There was no map to tell her the layout. No awaited enemies. And, if she held her breath, she couldn't hear a single noise traveling down the wooden steps. No gunfire, no bombs, no loud humming birds with red dots on its feathers. No Eugene screaming about how nothing mattered but death. Out of everything that's happened, she didn't expect that to mess her up as much as it did.

Ipo stood on the first step, the wood creaking under her weight. No one knew where she was right now. She felt like if she went up there she would be hiding. Did she want to hide? Ipo went up the stairs diligently, her feet landing on beige carpet this time. That was poor designing. Ipo continued along the line of offices, her intentions set on the double doors at the end of the hall. She grabbed one of the brass door knobs and opened it. The only light that shined in through the windows revealed that it was either a very small library or a records room. Ipo waded through the book shelves to the very back wall, throwing her pillow down in the corner and laying down on it. She wrapped the blanket around her before turning to face the wall. Ipo hadn't had her back to an open area for a long time.

She wasn't going to cry. He mind could sear the image of Snafu groping that woman to the inside of her eyelids all it wanted, but she wasn't going to get sad. She wasn't going to get mad. She'd already hit him, she didn't need to do anything else. Ipo needed to accept the fact that they were officially done. Over. He's tired of her and wanted something easy. No offense to that woman, Ipo was sure that she just wanted to have a good time, as well. She just could've fucking done it with a different marine.

Don't get angry, don't get angry.

It just wasn't meant to be.

Eugene shook a passed-out Burgin's shoulder. Maybe he had a little too much to drink. The Squad Leader lazily jerked awake, "Japs?"

Eugene tensed his jaw, "War's over, Burgin. Where's Ipo?" He was very concerned that she had deserted.

Burgin looked over to Ipo's cot, confused before his eyes brightened, "We're loud." He slurred, "He went to sleep." He collapsed back down.

"Where?" Eugene stressed.

"Dunno. Went tha' way." Burgin flung out his arm, pointing at the door that the Marines weren't allowed to enter. Eugene stared at the door for a moment, wondering whether or not to leave her alone.

He decided to not leave her alone. He was just going to find her and check on her, is all. Eugene went through the doors and began searching every room he came across. He even looked out the window to see if she jumped out of it or something. Eugene didn't think she was suicidal, but she was a very temperamental person. He went up the stairs and he did the same sweep before finding her. Eugene stared down at Ipo, who was actually sleeping on the carpeted floor.

At least she wasn't a mess.

Eugene went to leave, but he really didn't want Ipo to think that he wasn't there for her when this devastating thing happened. He was real tired of being dragged into this mess. Hiding that she was a girl was one thing, but trying to help fix a relationship that shouldn't even exist in the first place was almost too much. It was all because of Ipo.

Fuck Ipo.

Eugene sat down in the corner opposite of her, sighing deeply but quietly. He fell asleep like that, with his head propped against the wall. He's been in more uncomfortable positions.

From what they learned after roll call that morning (which her and Eugene almost missed), Snafu was in the brig. He had stumbled in at around three when all of the men were passed out, apparently shouting for Ipo, saying that he needed to talk to her. Burgin put his bruised face together with Ipo's bloody fist and thought it'd be best to keep them separated. He would be let out later in the day and seem to not want to talk to her any more.

Ipo didn't want to talk to him, either.

Eugene wasn't going to tell Ipo that Snafu thought the local woman was her because he didn't know if that was just an excuse. And it wasn't his business. They needed to talk to each other for once and not put him in the middle of it. It was eerie, though. They stopped even looking in each other's directions. They used to occasionally do that. For a week straight, Ipo was in the makeshift boxing area beating up the Marines from the company that they were stationed with because no one from King wanted to look like Snafu.

They left on February Seventeenth, but the day before was the Chinese New Year. Most of everyone went out to enjoy the celebrations, but the fireworks started early and Eugene had broke down. He was curled on his side in his cot, crying hard. It's never easy seeing a friend like that; torn on the insides. Ipo got up and placed his head in her lap, just like she had done on Okinawa, but she sang this time. The entirety of _Aloha_ _ʻ_ _Oe_ twice because that was how long it took him to calm down. She stayed with him until the fireworks stopped. Ipo thought that maybe she wasn't panicking every time a 'boom-pop' sounded was because there was someone else who was feeling that pain more than her and she needed to make sure they were okay. It was a mystery how those Marines who went out could be that close. It was a mystery how Snafu could be out there.

But, she wasn't supposed to worry about him any more.

 **~~~ A/N ~~~**

 _Kakalina_ \- Gasoline


	7. Chapter 7

**~~~ A/N ~~~**

 **English translations at the bottom.**

K Company was back on a ship. There was still that dread that they were going off to fight again because that was usually the only reason they were on one. They were going home, though. They were finished. Eugene told her that he was never re-enlisting. It was a good choice for him. He shouldn't have done it the first time. Ipo felt like she shouldn't be on the ship home. She felt like she should've died in service. Her cause would've be done and her soul would've been fulfilled if she had been shot in the chest and died while staring up at the clouds. She'd never thought that she would be going home.

"Ipo!" Burgin came busting into the hold where she was lounging, reading Poe, "We're passing it!"

Hawaiʻi. They could see the islands on the horizon, sitting there like the rugged tops of turtle shells. Ipo clutched onto the side of the ship, her mouth parted as she stared. So close, she was so close. She wondered if she could swim that far. Ipo couldn't even see the ships that were undoubtedly still parked at Pearl Harbor. She pointed, "That's Kauaʻi. There."

"It's green." Eugene said.

"Islands usually are, dimwit." Burgin replied.

As she stared, Ipo knew. She knew that'd she'd never be happy on Kauaʻi again. It was tarnished. That night when she dreamed, she was at the waterfall. The rainbow shone above her and the loud sounds of the waterfall calmed her. That was until it started turning into screams. Familiar screams that she's heard time and time again.

Then, it started raining blood.

When they made it to California, that was it for her. She was to get on the ferry and head back in the direction she just came from. Ipo was going to be reminded of Peleliu and Okinawa with incoming tides. The rest of Second Squad had to immediately go to the train station in order to catch their tickets home. Ipo went with them to the train station, saying that she knew where the harbor was, she could catch a ferry any time. Burgin thought that statement was extremely funny.

"Don't cry." Eugene told her, staring down at her with a face of steel as they stood next to the train. She had already shook hands with Burgin and told him good-bye.

"I'm not crying." Ipo said back. She wasn't at all.

"I think I see some water in those tear ducts."

"I'm going to make you cry here in a minute if you don't shut up."

Eugene chuckled before finally wrapping his arms around her. She stood on her tippy-toes to hug him around his neck and she didn't care if it looked strange because she was about to never see her best friend in the entire world again. They squeezed each other tightly and she opened her eyes that she didn't even realize were closed. Snafu stood at the entry of the car, his bag thrown over his shoulder. He was staring at them, an expression close to pain on his face. When their eyes connected, he let out a breath of air before turning to get on the train. It was like slow motion when it happened. A shiny thing from around his neck twinkled in the sunlight, that's what made her look at it. It was hanging around his neck.

Her ring.

In that slow motion moment, her thoughts raced. She loved him enough to marry him, that's what she said. That kind of love doesn't just go away, no matter the gender and no matter the drunken indiscretions. He was wearing that necklace and she didn't know how he got it, but it was a sign. If she loved him enough to marry him, then she loved him enough to go to fucking Louisiana.

Eugene and Ipo pulled away from each other and he cupped her face in his hands, "You have my address. Write me. Don't be an asshole and try not to physically attack anyone."

Ipo laughed, her crunched up eyes making those tears that she said she didn't have slide down and run into Eugene's fingers, "No promises to that last part." Eugene laughed and wiped away her tears before kissing her forehead, which didn't garner great reactions. He had to go. The train whistled. It reminded her of Leyden. Eugene hopped on the train, giving Ipo a last wave goodbye.

Ipo's heart beat hard against her ribs as she turned and began walking down the length of the train towards the exit. She had a family to go home to. To fix. To build up. The train whistled again before it slowly started moving.

 _Fuck it_.

Ipo quickly jumped onto the nearest car, which was about five down from Second Squad. She stood there at the head of the car, most people paying her mind since she was the only Marine on that car. The train went faster and faster. It was too late to get off now. She was doing this.

They were in the dining car eating dinner. Last sign that Eugene saw said that they had just entered Texas. In a day or two, Burgin would have to get off. It felt odd being with the Squad Leader and Cajun without the Hawaiian. Ipo would probably just be reaching The Big Island by now. Eugene was completely right about wanting to tell or show her things and it had only been five days since they separated. His crutch was gone and he was going to have to learn to stand on his own two feet. He'd caught Snafu playing with the ring around his neck while staring out of the window at the passing terrain more than once and knew that he felt the same. Although, Snafu hadn't spoken to or touched Ipo in months. He had time to ween away from her. Then again, he loved her differently than Eugene.

"Hi," Eugene heard Snafu as he approached a woman, "I'm Merriell Shelton. How about I take you to the back of the train and you can show me your caboose?" The woman slapped Snafu and it made Eugene smile, trying to hold back a laugh.

Snafu sat down across from him, "Feisty. We'd have been here six months ago, that broad would've given us all blow jobs." That was the truth.

"I suppose that I'm going to have to get a job, too." Burgin said.

"Doin' what?" Snafu asked doubtfully.

"I don't know. Anything between diggin' ditches and owning a bank." They laughed before Burgin awkwardly added on, "First, I got to get Florence home."

"Wait," Eugene paused his buttering of his roll, "Florence from Melbourne?"

"You shippin' her all the way over here and this is the first we hear about it?" Snafu reprimanded.

"Figured it'd be bad luck to talk about it." Burgin explained. He only told Ipo because he caught him fiddling with one of Florence's letters.

"Well, when's she coming?" Eugene asked. This had been the most excited he had been about something since... Well, since he went to bootcamp.

"I don't know. I cabled her, but we've been at sea. I guess I'm gonna find out soon enough whether I'm getting married or not." Burgin must've found the topic too nerve-racking as he changed the subject, "What about you, Sledgehammer?"

Eugene didn't want to answer. Because he didn't have an answer. Ipo told him to do what he loved, but he didn't know what that was any more, "I just hope this Florence girl comes to her senses."

"Got a job lined up in Mobile?" Burgin pushed.

"No." He was just playing with his food now, "No job, no girl... No plans."

"How long you think that's gon' last?" Snafu asked. This whole conversation wasn't doing much for him, either.

"As long as the sheriff lets me."

Snafu chuckled before leaning forward, his eyes sliding over to the woman he had harassed earlier, "You know, I'm going to get that girl."

"Leave her alone." Eugene said. It itched him under his skin to hear Snafu say that while Ipo's ring dangled around his neck.

"You boys watch. Imma get that girl."

"You've been saying that about every girl since San Diego." Eugene tried to keep it light.

"Well, if you ask me," Came a voice that almost caused Eugene pain, "She should've hit you a lot harder."

All heads turned. A girl stood by the empty chair next to Eugene, directly between the girl and Snafu's line of vision. A girl that looked awfully familiar. Eugene stood straight up like he was struck by lightning, Burgin and Snafu following.

"... Ipo?" Burgin asked, taking in the sight. There she stood in a tight dress that stopped just below her knees. The bodice and skirt were a light blue color with large pink and red roses scattered around it. The part that covered her breasts- which weren't covered in bandages and were actually presenting a little bit of cleavage- was a maroon color with a tiny black bow that sat in the middle. The sleeves only covered her shoulders, causing her tattoo to be shown off proudly to everyone who'd see. She was wearing short black heels and a tad bit of makeup on her face that was framed by the hair she'd been growing out for months. It was pinned back on one side with a gold barrett and was tamed well.

She was a pretty man, but a gorgeous woman.

The shock leaked out of Eugene pretty fast and he almost tackled her in a hug, squeezing way tighter than he should've. She had breasts; he felt them squished against his chest and it was the oddest fucking feeling. It must've never really sunk in that Ipo was a girl. It sunk in then, though, and he went from being happy to angry. Eugene pulled back and gripped her upper arms harshly, hissing, "What the fuck are you doing?"

Ipo winced, "Hoping that you don't break my arms."

"Is someone going to tell me what the hell is going on?" Burgin snapped.

Ipo yanked her arms away from Eugene, speaking sternly but quietly,"Everybody sit down. People are staring." The men took a moment before they all sat down. Ipo smoothed out her dress as if to wipe her nervousness away as she sat down in the empty chair. It took a lot for her to be there. She felt like her eyes were going to water because of how hard her heart was beating. Burgin was staring down at her chest from shock and Ipo was suddenly reminded of how it felt to be a woman. She slammed her hand down on the table, making the dishes and Burgin jump as she pointed to her face, "Eyes up here."

"Either you're a woman or those are really convincing." Burgin couldn't decide whether to be angry or surprised, so he stuck with confused.

Ipo swallowed, "... Surprise?"

"Ipo, what are you doin' here?" Eugene asked, "You can still be thrown in prison."

"You knew about this?" Burgin asked.

"Of course he knew." Snafu spoke lazily as if his insides weren't exploding, "He knows everything." He was shocked that he could even speak at all. When he first saw her, he thought he had swallowed his tongue. He also thought it was an apparition, there to haunt him of things he knew he'd never have, but then Eugene hugged his ghost and he knew that she was real. She. Definitely she.

Ipo didn't look at him because she was scared to see what emotion was or wasn't in his eyes. She kept her eyes on Burgin, "Snafu knew, too." She threw him under the bus just like that.

Burgin looked at Snafu, disbelief on his face. "War was over." Snafu said, "There was no use in tellin'."

"And there's still no use." Ipo said, "Right, Burgie?"

Everyone stared at Burgin as his mind undoubtedly raced over all the outcomes and thoughts before he decided on the same train of thought that made him decide not to turn her in for homosexuality, "... Right."

Ipo grinned, "Good boy."

"Let me guess." Eugene said, "You're here for Snafu."

Ipo stole part of Eugene's roll off of his plate. It was very difficult to eat on a train that only served people who showed their tickets, "ʻAe. Yes." She said with a mouthful of roll.

"What makes you think I want you?" Snafu wasn't teasing. His voice was deadly serious. But, Ipo knew better.

She pointed to the glinting thing displayed around his neck, "That." Snafu looked down like he forgot it was there. He quickly shoved it down the front of his suit like that would erase its existence. That confirmed that he knew it was from her.

"I saw it on the ground. Thought it was a nice souvenir, so I took it."

Ipo rose her eyebrows, "You're a really bad liar."

"I'm sure you'd know." Snafu muttered.

"Oh, Jesus Christ, Merriell, I fucking told you all that I could, what else do you want?" Ipo snapped. Attention was drawn and Eugene felt very uncomfortable being a witness to this fight.

"You're a woman." Burgin said again, more to himself.

"Good that you're keeping up." Eugene told him.

"I want you to never lie to me again." Snafu spoke like the other two hadn't said a word.

"I didn't plan to!" Ipo almost yelled.

"Excuse me, miss," One of the bartenders stopped by the table, speaking directly to Ipo, "I have to ask you to exit the car."

Eugene started chuckling, hiding his laughter behind his hand when Ipo shot him a glare. She smiled up at the bartender, "Sorry. My friend is being a real asshole." The man looked shocked and it'd been a long time since she was a girl, so she didn't know why at first. Ladies weren't supposed to curse.

Whatever.

Ipo stood and made her way quickly to the door that led to the sitting areas. Eugene sighed, standing, "Snafu, pull your head out of your ass." He followed after his friend.

Burgin looked at Snafu, "Ipo's a girl."

Eugene made Ipo sit with him, although her bag was already above the seats. She'd been planning to sit there. He thought about telling her to get off on the next stop, but he wanted this to play out. "You look very pretty." He told her.

Ipo was uncomfortable. Baggy shirts and pants had hid her away and now she felt like she was on display, "Thanks. I stole everything from some skinny girl, so everything is a little tight."

Eugene rose his eyebrows, "How?"

She grinned cheekily, "Always keep a close eye on your luggage."

He laughed a little and they were quiet for a moment before he asked, "What are you going to do? About Inoke and ʻAuliʻi?"

Ipo sighed, "Snafu said that we'll go and get them when we could."

"When did he say that?"

"When he asked me to go to Louisiana with him."

Eugene scrunched up his eyebrows, "And when did that happen?"

"On Okinawa."

"Why the hell didn't you tell me?"

Ipo looked at him, "Because I said no." She looked ahead at the empty seat in front of them, "And... I think he's the one saying no this time."

"Give him a chance. He has until Louisiana. If it doesn't work out, you can stay at my place for a few days."

Ipo smiled, "Seriously, Shark Bait, what have I done to deserve you?"

"I like to think of it more as you're my punishment."

Ipo punched his shoulder.

A few minutes later, Burgin and Snafu came into the car. Burgin had wanted to go right after Eugene and Ipo, but Snafu had forced him to stay with him. He was having a hard time processing what was happening and needed Burgin there to make it seem like he wasn't avoiding Ipo. The back of his mind kept arguing with the front and he didn't know which end to listen to. The ring against his chest felt like it was burning and he had an overwhelming urge to annihilate something and he wondered if that's how Ipo felt all the time. No matter what, his thoughts always navigated to her. He didn't fucking understand why.

"You okay?" Burgin had asked. He was finally accepting what was fact.

"... Fuckin' peachy."

Burgin and Snafu sat down, Snafu across from Eugene and Burgin across from Ipo. The Cajun just stared out of the window.

"So," Burgin leaned forward, elbows on his knees, "How'd you do it?"

"Bandages and dish rags." Eugene let out a snort at Ipo's answer.

Burgin furrowed his eyebrows, "What? I meant enlist."

"Oh." Ipo was fighting the urge to sit relaxed. She had to keep her knees together and it was very annoying, "Uh, after Pearl Harbor, we had to have these little I.D. cards with our name, gender, and thumb print on it. I ruined mine- the print and the gender part. Inoke and I went to replace it, him saying that he was me. For the printing part, he distracted her and I inked my thumb and... Boom. I'm a man."

"But, the physical inspections..."

"They let things like that slide when they need bodies." Ipo muttered. It wasn't fun retelling the tales of her deception when Snafu was there. She wasn't certain, but she imagined it made him angry.

"Huh." Burgin sat back, "Amazing."

"Not really." Snafu mumbled.

"I'd like to see you pretend to be a girl." Ipo said, "Then see how hard it is." She kept hoping that he'd smile or laugh, but he wouldn't.

"Oh my Lord." Burgin's face suddenly paled, "You've seen us naked."

"Only our asses." Eugene offered consolation.

"And that's not much of a sight." Ipo teased.

"... Really?" Burgin asked, his face serious and concerned.

Ipo laughed so hard that she threw her head back against the seat. The sound made Snafu look at her and he wished he hadn't because his heart pulsed and he had an aching to reach out and touch her.

"You're really loud." Eugene told her, "Hush up before you get kicked out of here, too."

"Sorry." She rolled her eyes, "It's been a while since I didn't have to grumble out my words."

"But, why?" Burgin asked. He must have still been in his mind, "Why the hell would you want to be in a war?"

Ipo just stared at Burgin. He was her friend. She owed her life to him, but that was personal. Way too personal. After an awkward silence, Ipo pulled her pink lipstick covered mouth into a tight smile, "Just wanted to help."

He barely mulled over that answer before he was on to the next question, "And Annalise?"

Eugene and Snafu both groaned and rolled their eyes. Eugene said, "Don't bring her up."

"Why?"

"Because she's a crazy psychopathic lesbian!" It was unknown to anyone before that moment, but Ipo did like to gossip, "She was like, ' _Oh, Ipo, I know you love me_ ' and I was like, ' _Bitch, I had my fingers in you for literally two seconds, I don't love jack shit_ ' and she was like, ' _If you don't stay with me, I'll te_ -'" Ipo was interrupted by Eugene's hand that covered her mouth. She was being loud again and people had definitely heard all of that.

"If you have a filter between that brain and mouth of yours," Eugene said slowly and quietly, "I'd suggest you use it."

Eugene removed his hand and Ipo immediately apologized, "I think I'm a little... Wired right now."

"You don't say?" Eugene asked sarcastically.

"Yeah, well, I haven't been told whether or not I'm getting off in Louisiana or not and I guess it's making me nervous." Ipo wiped her sweaty palms on her thighs.

Both Burgin and Eugene looked at Snafu, waiting for him to say something. Snafu was just trying not to let Ipo's voice sink into his mind and now they expected him to say something? "... I don't care where you get off." His statement was met with Ipo's heel to his shin. Ipo made Eugene move over so that she could sit in front of the man who was rubbing his leg.

Ipo leaned forward, trying to look Snafu in his shifty eyes, "Tell me what the problem is."

Snafu glanced at Eugene and Burgin. They didn't seem to care enough to even pretend they weren't listening. He ground his teeth together before saying, "You're a liar."

"So are you." Ipo argued.

"I didn't lie about my entire life."

"Neither did I."

He was able to look her in the eye then, "How am I supposed to ever believe anything that comes out of your mouth?"

Ipo sat back, "... You'll just have to trust me."

Snafu hummed, "Right. Trust you. Because that worked out so well before."

"Oh, my God." Ipo groaned, placing her face into her hands and mumbling, "He fucking lōlō ʻoe."

"Yeah, well, sucer mes couilles." He snapped back.

"Okay, okay." Burgin said, "Stop with the Battle of the Foreign Languages. Ya'll are driving me crazy, so handle this after I get off, alright?"

They were quiet for a moment, staring daggers at each other before Ipo said, "Yes, Burgie."

Ipo and Snafu didn't speak to each other for the rest of the day. Ipo rested her head against the window, staring outside. She felt like this was a mistake. She should've just fucking left. Snafu didn't love her any more. She thought that he'd realize that she wasn't lying when she said she loved him by the sheer fact that she hopped on the train for him. Ipo didn't know what to do any more; how to win him back. She didn't know how she could go on with her life without him there. She didn't know what she'd do.

Snafu stared at Ipo that night. She had fallen asleep against the window and Eugene had put his jacket over her as a blanket. He wished he could. He wished he could drop everything his mind was warning him about and gather her in his arms and live in the world that he desperately wanted to, but it was impossible.

Because he knew. He saw.

"Get your own." Eugene said with a sharp slap to Ipo's wrist as she tried to steal his sausage on his plate the next morning.

"Sharing is caring." Ipo said, rubbing the sore spot.

"Guess I don't care, then." He responded.

"Ouch." Burgin commented, but he smiled as he ate his own bacon.

"Here." Snafu said, shoving his plate towards her, "Have mine. I'm not hungry, anyway." Everyone stared at him. Those were the first words he had spoken.

Ipo slowly picked up the fork that he had been poking at the eggs with, "... Did you poison it?"

"Thought about it." He muttered, staring out the window that he wasn't even next to to avoid looking at her.

"You have to appreciate the honesty." Burgin told her. He was rooting for them to work out. The way that they looked at each other was... powerful. They were meant to be together.

"Yeah. Thanks." Ipo muttered. She ate the food, anyway, because she was starving. She was trying to decipher every little thing Snafu did to try to understand what he was thinking, but his face and eyes were stone and actions hardly meant anything, apparently. Pretty soon, it was Burgin's stop and she'd decided on one final thing because all other options were exhausted.

"There's my little brother." Burgin said, pointing out of the window, "No sign of Florence."

"Melbourne's a hell of a long way, Burgie." Snafu reassured, "It'll take Florence a while to get from Australia to here."

Ipo stood up and hugged Burgin tightly because she could now. She didn't know why, but she kept thinking that she'd never see or hear from him again, even though he was just a postage stamp away. He patted her back as she said, "She'll be here in no time."

As Burgin walked away, Snafu called to him, "Thanks... For doin' all you did to keep us from getting our fool heads shot off."

Burgin smiled, "You're good Marines." He looked at Ipo, "Even if one of you was a girl." Ipo rolled her eyes at him and then he was gone. It felt too strange. They watched as he reunited with his family. It made her imagine what it would be like when she got to be with hers. Would Inoke hug her like that or would he just shove ʻAuliʻi at her and move on? Would ʻAuliʻi know the stranger who had come to take care of her? The train started moving again and it felt like it was too soon.

Next stop was Louisiana. They were quiet, mourning the departure of their friend for a while before Ipo spoke quietly, "Shark Bait, can I have a moment with Snafu?" Eugene looked at Ipo briefly before looking at Snafu. He was staring down at the ground, but he didn't make any objections. Eugene nodded before standing and leaving, going to get a drink at the bar. Ipo slid over so that she was directly across from Snafu. She didn't say anything for a moment, building up her courage, "... You don't trust me and... the only reason why that I can think of is because I'm not telling you everything, so I'm going to... Tell you everything that you don't know." She paused, but Snafu didn't even blink, "... Back, way back when I told you that the girl I was going to marry back in Hawaiʻi got engaged to another man. That's the truth, except it was a man named Analu, who has since married that girl without even telling me that he was done with me."

Snafu kept his eyes on the floor, so Ipo continued, her nerves building for what she was going to have to tell him, "On Okinawa, I... Asked Eugene several times to... slap me across my face. Which, is embarrassing to admit." Ipo stared down at her hands, rubbing her middle knuckle harshly, "And, he would do that almost daily. I knew he would because... I've asked him to hurt me before that and he did." Snafu had looked up at her, his eyebrows knitted togther in shock. He didn't think that Eugene would do that to her.

Ipo cleared her throat, moving a little in her seat as she mentally told herself to just spit it out, "When I got attacked in the woods on Peleliu, the Japanese soldiers saw that I was a girl and took advantage of it."

"Ipo." Snafu said.

"Shut up." Ipo ordered before continuing, "I... got rid of them, but apparently not quick enough because by the time we got back to Pavuvu, I was... I was pregnant." Her voice broke, trying to keep her from saying the word. She felt like she was telling a horror story, "So, I asked Eugene to... kick me in the stomach. I didn't tell him why. He only found out when he went to check on me and saw the fetus on the ground... He buried it for me and... we went on like nothing happened." Her entire body was tensed like it was remembering it better than her mind. She was quiet for a moment before saying, "When it came out, it was still breathing, so I put a pillow over it and killed it. That's why Eugene didn't want me near that baby on Okinawa. He thought I might have a flashback and... try to hurt it." As Ipo was saying all this, she felt disgusted with herself. Like she was a monster. That pink thing with its black beady eyes came with a spirit of possession that made everyone do evil things.

"That's it. That's everything." Ipo muttered. If he had any feelings left for her before all that, he definitely didn't now.

That's what she thought, anyway.

Ipo didn't realize that Snafu was next to her until his arms wrapped around her, making her jump a little. He pulled her into his chest, holding her tightly. He kissed the top of her head, whispering, "I don't care. It doesn't matter."

As much as she enjoyed his warmth and his smell, she pushed him away, "Yes, you do and it does. Or else you would've just dropped it and... and loved me." Ipo muttered the last part to herself because she had to say it, but she didn't want him to hear it. He did, anyway.

Snafu rose his eyebrows and leaned his elbows onto his knees so he could look at her face that was turned away from him, "I've never had a problem loving you."

Ipo turned to him, "Then, why the fu-" She paused, noting the look in his eyes. She furrowed her eyebrows, "... You still think I don't love you."

"I know you love me, now. Just... Not like I love you."

"Are you insane?" Ipo snapped at him.

Snafu turned his body to her, " _Not as much_ as I love you."

Ipo could tell he was serious. She glanced away for a moment, confusion no doubt showing on her face, "I love you enough to spend the rest of my life with you and you think that I can some how love you even more than that?"

Snafu stared at her, letting the words sink it. There was a change that slowly formed in his eyes before he suddenly grabbed her wrist, yanking her towards him and connecting their lips in a well overdue kiss. He rested his hand on her cheek, stroking his thumb against the bone as they kissed like the other one was delicate. It felt so good. Snafu pulled back, resting his forehead against her's, "Love me whole or not, I'll take you any way I can get you."

"I'm ignoring that." Ipo kissed him again.

They must've been kissing for a while because there was an awkward clearing of a throat. They separated and saw Eugene standing there with eyebrows raised, "Going to Louisiana?"

Instead of answering, Snafu just kissed Ipo again.

"Alright, alright." Eugene sat across from them, "This is a public place."

Ipo pulled away from Snafu, "You try kissing him. See if you want to stop."

"I'm alright, thanks." Eugene said.

"Oh, come on, Sledgehammer." Snafu grinned, "I don't bite." Eugene looked legitimately terrified. Snafu and Ipo looked at each other before laughing. They had better enjoy their time together as much as they could because by midnight, they'd both be heartbroken.

Ipo was asleep against Snafu's shoulder when the train was rolling to a stop in New Orleans. He gently moved her against the window so that she mirrored Eugene and stood, grabbing his bag. He stared down at Ipo and Eugene. He did really think that he could make it work. All of the things she did, the lies she told; they were just excuses. Reasons for him to go on without her. He loved her so much that it tore him into pieces, but he couldn't steal the life she could have away from her. Snafu turned and paused for a moment, thinking that he could go back and wake her up, take her with him to be his and only his for as long as they lived, but he couldn't. He couldn't live knowing that there was someone out there other than him that truly was hers. She loved him, yes.

But, not as much as another.

Snafu stepped off the train, walking slowly away from it into the smoky jazz filled air as it rolled away. He ignored the tear that ran down his cheek.

When Ipo woke up, Eugene was across from her, elbows on his knees and head in his hands. "You okay?" She sleepily muttered. The sun had just come up. She'd been asleep all night.

Eugene dropped his hands and looked up at her, his face resembling the expression he wore on Okinawa, "... He's gone, Ipo."

"Who?" Ipo sat straight, wiping at her eyes, completely forgetting that she was wearing eyeliner. Then, it kicked in that the only person he could be talking about was Snafu. She looked at the empty seat next to her before her eyes traveled upwards to where the bags were seated. One was missing.

"We're in Mississippi now."

Ipo leaned forward a little, staring at the ground. It wasn't sinking in. He said he wanted her. That he loved her. That he was obsessed. But, he wasn't on the train. Why? Why would he do this? Ipo thought that he was just insecure, that's why he wouldn't accept the fact that she loved him so much that it hurt. She thought he'd get over it when they were together in Louisiana and he'd see that she only wanted him. No one else but him.

"... Are you okay?" Eugene asked quietly.

Ipo was quiet for a long time. Long enough for that question to expire. "... I guess I'm going home."

"To Mobile." Eugene corrected her, "You're going to Mobile." He was waiting for her to break down and start sobbing. She always cried when it came to Snafu. He was just about the only thing that could make her cry.

"Yeah." She said. She looked almost like she was in a trance for a moment before she sat back, eyes on Eugene, "Do you think we missed breakfast? I'm hungry."

Eugene blinked at her. Maybe she was just in shock, "... Let's go see." They stood, Ipo taking a moment before following Eugene to the dining car. He kept looking back during the transitions of cars to make sure she didn't decide to jump down. They didn't miss breakfast at all. It seemed like they were just on time. Eugene ordered enough for both of them and they ate off the same plate. He was surprised that she could eat at all.

Ipo drank some of Eugene's coffee, speaking as she set it back down on the saucer, "It really seemed like he loved me." She didn't sound sad. She sounded more like she was pleasantly surprised by an actor's performance.

Eugene felt cornered. He didn't know what to say, "... Maybe he thought that you needed to be with your family."

"ʻAʻole." Ipo said, poking her fork into the table cloth, "He said that I didn't love him enough. Now I think he just wanted out and was blaming it on me."

It didn't register in Eugene's mind how Snafu could think that Ipo didn't love him enough, "Love can't be measured." He said.

"Apparently so." Ipo let go of the fork, letting it clatter against the table before placing her chin in her hand as she stared out of the window.

"Maybe if you get off at the next depot and catch a train back to New Orleans..."

Ipo slid her eyes to Eugene, raising her eyebrows, "Trying to get rid of me, too?"

Eugene looked like he really wanted to roll his eyes, his tone telling her that she was being ridiculous, "Ipo." She looked back at the window. He grabbed her hand that was resting on the table, "I'm just trying to help." He squeezed it before letting go.

Ipo sighed and leaned back in the chair, crossing her arms, "I know."

"And this is no way your fault. It's his."

"We should stop talking about this now." Ipo said lazily.

Later that day, Eugene was growing increasingly concerned about her lack of speaking, so he began telling her about where she was going to be for a couple of days, "It's a nice sized place. You'll like my parents, I think."

"Do you think they'll like me?" Ipo asked.

Eugene looked like he was thinking before saying, "No. Absolutely not." He smiled when Ipo laughed quietly.

"That's fair."

"You might meet my brother. He's a Marine, too. He got shipped back home right after the war and has even gotten married."

"Auē." Ipo said, "That was quick."

"Probably my mother's doing. She's a little pushy."

"Does she push you?" Ipo asked. Eugene couldn't help but feel that she'd rather be talking about Snafu's family.

"Sometimes. I don't let her as much as I used to."

"Good. You're your own person."

She sounded almost emotionless. Eugene looked at her, her eyes trained on the outside, "You can't tell me that you never listened to your parents."

Ipo finally looked at him, "Of course I listened to my parents. I also sometimes obeyed them."

"What's the worst thing you did as a kid?"

Ipo smiled, "You first."

"I asked first."

"Yeah, but I want to know if mine's worse than yours."

"Aright." Eugene sat and thought for a moment, "When I was thirteen, me and Sid threw eggs at some old geezer's house. He was a nasty guy."

Ipo dramatically gasped, "Eugene Bondurant Sledge! You're terrible!"

Eugene flinched. He should've never told her his middle name, "Well? Your turn."

Ipo didn't even pause, "Got drunk when I was fourteen, robbed a store with Analu, and lost my virginity in isle five."

The shock on Eugene's face was amusing as he asked, "Were you arrested?"

"No. We were usually good kids. We gave the money back secretly and no one ever knew."

"That's why you never drink."

"Thinking about it now, though." She muttered.

Eugene chuckled, "I don't want you to be done in for train robbery like Jesse James."

Ipo furrowed her eyebrows, "Who's Jesse James?"

Eugene laughed at her.

The next day, they were in Mobile. Neither of them really wanted to be there. They didn't belong any more. "Are you ready?" Eugene asked her.

"Are you?"

Both of them agreed that it didn't matter.

They walked off the train. Ipo's legs felt like jelly, the high heels on her feet and the heavy bag over her shoulder not helping. There were people lined up to greet whoever it was that they were long awaiting. Eugene seemed almost in awe from being back until he saw a familiar face. It was familiar to Ipo, as well. It was Sidney Phillips. She was worried for a moment that he'd recognize her and call some Captain somewhere to tell on her before she realized that she didn't have to be afraid of that any more. She had been discharged. She wasn't living a double life any more.

Eugene threw his rucksack at Sid, "You gon' take this for me or what?"

Sid caught it with a smile, "Good to see you, Eugene." His eyes slid over to Ipo, who was standing a few steps awkwardly behind Eugene. She felt like this was too private of a moment. "Looks like you've got an admirer."

Eugene turned to look at her, motioning with his head for her to come closer before looking back at Sid, "You two have met before." When Ipo was by his side, he patted her shoulder, "Remember Ipo?"

"Aloha." Ipo muttered.

Sid furrowed his eyebrows, "Wasn't Ipo that guy who said he could catch a fish with his hands?"

"Hey," Ipo defended herself, "I _can_ catch a fish with my hands."

"And she's not a guy." Eugene said, taking her bag from her, "She fooled us all. Or, you all. I knew."

Sid looked from Eugene to Ipo, "Well, I'll be damned. What're you doing here?" He suddenly pulled her into a hug. She didn't think they knew each other that well.

He let her go as she answered, "Long story. Eugene said I could stay with him for a couple of days."

"A few days." Eugene said.

Ipo turned to him, "Could you stop doing that?"

"Doing what?"

"Correcting me over the littlest shit."

"Maybe you should get the little shit right and I wouldn't have to."

"Okay." Sid said loudly, "You two keep at this and we'll never get out of here."

Their bags were put in the back of the car and Ipo sat in the backseat. She almost had her nose glued to the window most of the way there. This was the first time she'd been this far on the Mainland. She was just trying to take in the surroundings to say she's been somewhere other than an island and actually describe what she's seen. Everything was a lot flatter. And tan instead of green. Eugene and Sid weren't talking that much. Sid probably knew what it felt like to be thrust back into a place that was supposed to be normal when they all knew that nothing about this world was normal.

"What's with the MacArthur bit?" Sid asked when Eugene lit his pipe.

"Huh?" Eugene asked.

"Popeye the Sailor?" Sid asked. Ipo laughed. She knew that Popeye joke was funny.

Eugene took the pipe out of his mouth, staring down at it appreciatively, "Calms me down. Packing it. Cleaning it. Always gives me something to do."

Sid waited a beat before asking, "What do you remember about Mary Houston?"

"Mary Houston?"

"Yeah."

" _The_ Mary Houston?" Eugene asked. It caught Ipo's attention. People used to talk about her like that back on Kauaʻi. She was always so eccentric. Loud and happy and always doing something considered taboo. "Well, like everybody else in Mobile, I was in love with Mary Houston."

"Well, that's too bad for you 'cause she's marrying me."

"Sure she will." Eugene said, sarcasm heavily indicated, "The minute she goes blind."

"Yeah, well I asked her." Sid said, "She said yes. So, you're just going to have to deal with it, brother."

"You're saying that Mary Houston is going to be Mary Houston-Phillips?"

"In the eyes of God and the law."

"What am I going to hear next? That Martians landed downtown and they're settin' up a hotel?" Ipo snorted at Eugene.

"I want you to be my best man." Sid said.

"If you think... That I'm gonna stand at the alter and lose Mary Houston to the likes of you, then.." Eugene shook his head before suddenly shouting, "Well, hell yes!" He leaned over and started honking the horn, making the car swerve before Sid shoved him back into his seat.

"I have a question." Ipo said, leaning forward so that most of her upper body was between Eugene and Sid, facing the driver while using Eugene's shoulder as a crutch for the awkward position, making her friend laugh.

"What is your question?" Sid asked her, since it was clearly directed to him.

She scrunched up her face in thought, "... Do you think she's desperate? Because I think-"

"Oh, pipe down." Sid told her while Eugene threw his head back in laughter.

"I'm just trying to help you out, man." Ipo grinned, "Because you don't want to marry a desperate one."

"If Mary Houston is desperate, then, yeah, I'll marry a desperate one. Now, sit down before you make me drive into a ditch." He was laughing.

Ipo did what she was told, "I want to meet her."

Sid immediately shook his head, "No way."

"Oh, come on! I want to see the girl that set Eugene's spine on fire."

"What the hell does that even mean?" Eugene asked her.

"I'm pretty sure you know what that means." Sid told him, "Besides, Ipo, you're not going to be here long enough to meet her."

Ipo grunted before sitting back completely, crossing her arms, "You're no fun." Eugene and Sid laughed at her and they all steadily fell quiet. No one told her how long of a drive it would be. Thirty minutes later, she was still staring out of the window when they passed over a bridge and she let the words, "I wish I had a camera." Slip out of her mouth.

"I'll get you a camera." Eugene immediately said.

Ipo rose her eyebrows, "No, you will not."

"Try to stop me."

Ipo snorted, "You and I both know that I can."

"You never have before."

"Doesn't mean I won't now."

"I have to ask." Sid interrupted, "... Are you two together? Is that what this is?"

"No." Ipo said sternly.

"We're just good friends, Sid." Eugene didn't sound quite as annoyed by the question as Ipo did. It reminded her of things still fresh in her mind.

Pretty soon, they were arriving at a very large structure. Ipo leaned forward to see better out of the front windshield, awe on her face, "Eugene."

"What?"

"Is this your house?"

"Yep."

"Eugene."

"What?" He asked, a little more annoyed.

"There is a wall around your house."

"Yes, Ipo, I know."

"Is it to keep the rich in and the poor out?" Sid snickered at her question.

"Ipo, will you shut up and try to concentrate on acting like a lady in front of my parents?"

Ipo looked at him, "Am I embarrassing?"

"Yes."

Ipo narrowed her eyes, "Fine. I'll treat your parents like I treat the tourists right before I pickpocket them."

"Do not pickpocket my parents!"

"Why not? Clearly, they can afford it." Eugene turned to look at her. He was serious. Ipo rolled her eyes, "Okay, okay. I'll try."

"Thank you."

"Oh, brother." Sid muttered to himself.

"Right here's fine." Eugene told Sid. They had barely made it inside the walls. He was nervous.

"You sure here's good?"

"Yep." Eugene said, barely sounding more confident than he looked. Sid nodded. Eugene took a moment before getting out, pulling the seat forward to let Ipo out and grab the bags. "See you later?" He asked Sid.

His friend nodded his head, "Welcome home, Eugene."

"Congratulations, Sid." Ipo grinned at him. At least someone was working out.

"Thanks, Ipo."

"Come on." Eugene said to her, placing a hand on her back to guide her towards the large, intimidating house. The only other houses she had seen this big were all plantations, but Ipo didn't see any type of crop growing around.

"It's very pretty." Ipo said quietly as they walked up the long donut-shaped driveway.

"You get used to it after a while." Eugene said. Ipo didn't think that was right. If something was truly beautiful, one could never get tired of it. Like her waterfall.

"I'm nervous." She said, gripping the strap of her bag tightly.

" _You're_ nervous?" Eugene muttered. He was way more unsettled than she was.

Ipo grabbed his hand as they stopped at the front door, "It's okay."

He looked down at her, "... I believe you." He pulled his hand from hers and raised it to knock the knocker against the door, but he stopped. This was home. He shouldn't knock like a stranger. He looked down at Ipo one last time before he twisted the knob, letting them both inside.

Ipo tried not to be intimidated by the smell of fresh linen or by the fact that she could immediately see four rooms while standing in the doorway, but she let out a quiet, "Holy shit." That made Eugene hush her. This house was too big. She could get lost in it. Her entire house on Kauaʻi was only four rooms. They didn't even have an indoor bathroom. Eugene probably had several. A large expensive chandelier hung above their heads. She felt inadequate.

Eugene walked forward and put both of their bags on the bench sitting in the hallway. A bench. In the hall. He then followed the noise of the clinking dishes and she followed behind him, staying a ways away because she felt like an intruder. She didn't mind, however. It gave her time to look at everything. Eugene stopped in the dining room, watching a woman put china back into the designated display cabinet in the kitchen. She must've saw his reflection in the door as she closed it because she turned around, looking like she saw a ghost. She quickly walked forward and embraced him.

This woman was his mother. Mrs. Sledge was crying because she was so happy. There were footsteps coming from another room to their right. How many rooms did one house need? The man was definitely his father. The doctor that owned this house. It was strange to see the people who made Eugene. Dr. Sledge walked up to Eugene and they shook hands, which Ipo thought was strange. Everyone in her family hugged. Well, they used to.

As Eugene's mother hugged him again, it was Dr. Sledge who finally noticed Ipo standing in the background watching them. "Who are you?" He asked, not sure if she came with Eugene or if a complete stranger had just waltzed into his home.

Eugene parted from his mother, still nervous about Ipo speaking to his parents for obvious reasons, "This is Ipo. She was a Marine, too."

"Nice to meet you, Dr. and Mrs. Sledge." She said, her shyness genuine.

"I told her that she could stay here a few days. Just to rest until she gets back on the train." Eugene explained as Dr. Sledge shook her tattooed hand. Maybe she should've stolen a jacket.

"Oh." Mrs. Sledge said, wiping her tears from her face, "That's fine."

"Nice to meet you." Dr. Sledge smiled. She hesitantly smiled back. The parents forgot she was there for a moment longer, going back to looking at their son, touching his face to see if he was real. Ipo felt out of place, but she'd been feeling that way ever since the war ended. She didn't feel useful to the world any more, but she was still there. There had to be some reason.

"Are you hungry? You must be starving." Mrs. Sledge.

Eugene took a moment before nodding, "I'd love some food."

"I'll just go show your friend where she'll be staying and-"

"No, I'll show her." Eugene said, "I have to put my bag up, anyway."

"I'll call Edward." Dr. Sledge said, heading to whichever room had the phone in it.

Eugene placed his hand on her elbow and as they walked out of the room, Ipo whispered to him, "You have a telephone?"

"Where do you live?" Eugene asked as he handed her her bag, "Under a rock?"

"Try _on_ a rock, ʻōkole." Ipo was glad that she spoke another language and could call him all the bad names she wanted in the rich house.

"No bad words in front of my parents." Eugene led her up the stairs.

"How do you know that's a bad word?"

"Everything that comes out of your mouth is a bad word."

Ipo swatted his arm and he swatted hers back. The upstairs was like one large hallway of nothing but doors. He lead her down the left side to the very last doors. He opened the one on the left side, "Here's yours." He went to the one directly across the hall, "This is mine."

They stared at each other for a second. Sleeping in separate rooms was an odd thing for them. "Right." Ipo said, turning and walking into the room that was more than half the size of her house on Kauaʻi. What the fuck. The floor was wooden and had a large red rug half way under the twin bed. There was a dresser and a bed side table with a lamp on it. It was just a guest bedroom, so there wasn't much. She dropped her bag on the bed and just stood there, staring at the leg of the bed that was butted up against the flower covered wallpaper. She didn't know why; she wasn't thinking of anything at all. She was just... staring.

A hand grabbed her arm and she jumped, turning to look at Eugene, who immediately enveloped her in a hug. Ipo furrowed her eyebrows, her arms spread out in confusion as Eugene squeezed her, "Uh, why are you hugging me?" Her voice was muffled in his hunched shoulder.

"... Because I need to." He mumbled, "Everyone else seemed too fragile."

"Is that an insult?" She wrapped her arms around his middle, anyway.

"A compliment." Eugene pulled away and grabbed her face, giving her a quick peck on the mouth before stepping away from her, "I bet you can't wait to eat off of your own plate for a change."

Ipo snorted and rolled her eyes, "I can't wait for your mother to see the lipstick you just put on your mouth." Eugene wiped his hand on his mouth, smearing the little bit that had transferred onto him. Ipo laughed at him until he grabbed her short sleeve and wiped his mouth on it. Ipo smacked the back of his head, "This isn't my dress, you dick."

Eugene quickly put her into a headlock, talking while trying to keep her under his arm, "Yeah, like it'll ever see the owner again."

Ipo elbowed his stomach lightly, barely able to talk through the laughing, "Get the fuck off me."

There was a throat clearing and the two of them separated quicker than lightning, standing straight up like they'd just been caught by a Captain. It was Eugene's mother, so, same thing. "Sorry." They both said at the same time.

Mrs. Sledge glanced in between them. She had the look that rich white ladies wore when they didn't like whatever they were seeing. She smiled anyway, "I have Edna making your favorite and there's going to be mulberry pie afterwards. Oh, and Edward and Martha will be here any minute." She paused, looking at her son the way that mothers do, "It's so good to see you." She passed a look at Ipo before she hesitantly left.

Ipo glared up at Eugene, "You made me look bad."

Eugene couldn't stop the smile forming on his face before he said, "You don't need help with that."

"Asshole."

As they were going downstairs, Ipo asked, "Who's Edna?"

"One of the help."

Ipo stopped on a stair, "... You have help?" She knew that wealthy people came with all of these things, but it was still a surprise.

The front door opened and in walked a man in an Army uniform with a pretty blonde woman. He had a giant smile on his face and he held his arms out, "Baby brother!" Their bodies collided and they patted each other hard on the back like men often did before Edward held Eugene out by his shoulders, "Not much of a baby any more, are you?"

"You still are, though." Eugene teased. Him and Martha greeted each other with a kiss on the cheek.

Edward noticed Ipo standing behind Eugene, like she always was because he was like a giant protective wall between her and the world she didn't know, and said, "You've been back in town for barely an hour and you've already got a girl? A gorgeous one at that."

Lord, help her.

"Watch it." Martha warned with a smile.

Eugene put his hand on Ipo's back, making her move forward next to him, "This is Ipo."

"Ipo?" Edward asked Eugene, trying to see if he heard it right.

Martha stuck out her hand, "Hello, Ipo, nice to meet you." Ipo didn't get a chance to say anything back because as soon as their hands connected, Martha gasped at Ipo's arm, "Holy moly." She touched the tattoos like she expected it to feel different from skin.

Ipo awkwardly pulled her arm away, "... Hello."

"Honey, you can't just stroke other people's arms." Edward laughed before shaking Ipo's hand as well. This was the most she had ever shaken hands in her life.

"Ipo's a Marine like me." Eugene told them.

"Oh." Martha rose her eyebrows, "I wanted to join, but Eddy wouldn't let me."

This was awkward. Everything was uncomfortable. Thank God Mrs. Sledge saved the day by peeking her head out of the kitchen and shouting that supper was ready. As Eugene and Ipo followed Edward and Martha, her friend whispered to her, "Sorry."

"I feel like an exhibit." She whispered back.

"More like exotic."

"Oh, shut up." Ipo said a little louder then attended. Edward and Martha looked back at her before laughing. The blush was back in her cheeks. There was more than just Edna. There were about four people there to serve six people who very well had hands and feet of their own. Ipo sat next to Eugene and was quiet throughout. The food was good. Grits, fried chicken, and green beans. She didn't know this was Eugene's favorite. She also didn't know what a mulberry was. Eugene's mother kept doting on him, making sure his plate was full even though it was obvious he was trying to just blend into the background and get used to the happiness that his family radiated.

And then the questions started.

"So, Ipo." Dr. Sledge said, "Where are you from?"

Keeping Eugene's feelings about her fucking up in mind, she told herself to keep all answers short, "Hawaiʻi." Ipo took a drink of water to wash the nerves away.

Martha hummed, "Which island? I always wanted to visit Hawaiʻi, but the attack-"

"Um, Kauaʻi. Outside of Wainiha." Ipo had to interrupt her. She'd been around enough tourists to know how long these conversations of tragedy could go on.

"You were a marine as well?" Dr. Sledge asked, "Were you a nurse?"

Ipo bit her tongue, seeing as how the first thing she wanted to say was, " _No, but I dated one_." And that would've not gone over well. However, she was taking too long to think of a lie and they were all staring at her.

Eugene cleared his throat, "She was in K Company. Fifth Marines. First Division. 60 Mortar. Second Squad. We were in boot camp together." Ipo stared at him with wide eyes.

The table was quiet before Edward laughed, "No, really."

"Ipo pretended to be a man." Eugene said with a little sigh. It was like he was challenging his family, showing that he wasn't that afraid to tiptoe around them any more. Ipo kicked his foot hard under the table, making him jump, flinching as he said, "And she's really strong."

"You're joking, right, dear?" Mrs. Sledge asked her son. Ipo placed her face in her hands. It was unspoken, but those who weren't involved weren't supposed to know.

Eugene shook his head, "Nope. Elbows off the table, Ipo." Ipo quickly sat back, resting her hands in her lap while staring down at her empty plate. The only good out of this situation was that the food wasn't just slop any more.

The family was quiet, all clinking against plates ceased as she felt the stares on her. She looked up at Eugene, mouthing, " _You're dead_." He just chuckled at her. Has he gone insane?

"Oh, well," Edward broke the silence, "It happens all the time. Women want to feel more included. It's completely understandable."

"Really?" Mrs. Sledge asked, buttering some cornbread, "All the time? I can't imagine why. It has to be terrible being constantly surrounded by men."

The family laughed at that. Ipo picked up her water again, muttering to herself, "Pepehi ā make ia'u." Before drinking the liquid.

"I don't think it was the men she was worried about." Eugene said what she was thinking stiffly and it got awkward again.

"What's..." Ipo said after a few moments of silence. All eyes turned to her, "What's a mulberry?"

That was, apparently, very amusing.

They had the pie, which was delicious and she made a mental note to thank Edna, and Ipo had quietly expressed the fact to Eugene that she wanted to take a bath. He made a big deal, saying that she had been wearing that dress for too long and that she needed to have a change of clothes.

"I have clothes." Ipo smiled at the members of the family who had all moved into the "sitting room" (because there needed to be a room just for sitting for some fucking reason) before turning her back to them, "Show me to the bathroom. Please. Shark Bait." Ipo spoke quietly through gritted teeth. He did so, getting her towels as well, and as Eugene was exiting the bathroom, she grabbed his arm, "Why do you have to bring up my shit?"

Eugene sighed and leaned his back against the door frame, "I'm tired of lying."

"They're not your lies to tell."

"Are too. Your lies are my lies. You know that. Aren't you tired?"

Ipo pressed her hand against her forehead, hoping to cool it down, "... I guess. Your family's tiring."

Eugene smiled, "I know. When you leave, I'll still be here with them."

"I feel bad for you."

Eugene shook his head, "You are so sweet. Anyone ever tell you that?"

"Sure. It just usually sounds like "bitch" or "asshole"."

Eugene nodded, "Yeah, that's what it sounded like in my head."

Ipo shoved him out of the doorway, "Get the fuck out, haole." She was grinning, though, as she shut the door. Ipo didn't want to be alone for too long. As the bath was filling up, she washed the makeup off of her face. She only put it on for...

Ipo quickly scrubbed it off before getting out of the uncomfortable dress and blistering heels and too tight under garments. The water was hot enough to burn, but she didn't feel it too well. Ipo sat with her knees to her chest, staring at where the water's edge waved against the porcelain tub. This was the first time in three years she's been in one. Ipo didn't wait more than a couple of moments before busying herself with washing her hair and body to get the stench of train and ship off of her. She pulled the plug and dried herself off. She had to, unfortunately, put the bra back on, but she put the pants of her marine's uniform on and the white undershirt that she was given. Ipo took the strip of material that she used while in Peking and tied her hair back into a low ponytail.

Ipo left the bathroom, which had been right next to her room, and shoved the stolen dress and shoes into her rucksack. She didn't know the customs of these people, but she hoped that they wouldn't get offended by her walking around barefoot. Ipo took a deep breath before she went back downstairs. She'd only been in the bath for about ten minutes, but that seemed to be enough time for Mary and Edward to leave and the house was quiet. Those two brought a lot of noise with them. Ipo heard voices and she followed them down the hallway past the stairs. This house was like a damn maze. Dr. and Mrs. Sledge were standing in front of the back door, whispering to each other as they watched Eugene stand outside in the yard.

"Do you think he'll be alright?" Mrs. Sledge whispered

"... Probably not." Dr. Sledge answered truthfully and sadly.

Ipo remembered that she was light-footed and backed up a few paces before walking again, slapping her feet against the wooden floor, walking around the corner. They both turned to look at her and Mrs. Sledge immediately said, "Oh, dear, when you said you had clothes..."

"I know." Ipo said, "But, I wasn't planning on going to a party or anything, so I thought it'd be okay... Is it okay?"

Dr. Sledge chuckled, "It's fine. You want to be comfortable. I think you deserve it."

Ipo smiled a little, "Thank you." She glanced at Eugene, "Um, I'm going to..." She pointed to their son.

"Maybe he should be alone-"

Mrs. Sledge was interrupted by Eugene, who had called out, "Ipo! Come on!" He had turned because he just knew she was there. It was that twin thing. Ipo looked back at the parents, pulling an apologetic face before walking around them and out the back door to stand next to Eugene. The yard was large and there was even a little sitting area. The ground wasn't good enough? It was still prettier than she thought it would be with the draping trees.

"What do you think?" Eugene asked her. It was obvious that he missed this yard.

Ipo sighed deeply, "I think your mother doesn't like me."

"Told you."

"Your dad thinks I'm alright, though."

"Makes sense."

"And Mrs. Sledge thinks that my outfit is terrible."

Eugene looked down at her, "You look fine."

"Thanks."

Later that night, after everyone had gone to bed, Ipo lied awake. She didn't want to sleep and she didn't want to be alone this long, so she wasn't even laying down and the lamp was still on. Then, everyone was awake but Eugene. He was having nightmares. She listened to it for approximately ten minutes before she stood and exited her room wearing the t-shirt she had been wearing all day and the boxer shorts that she had been forced to wear. She stopped, seeing Dr. Sledge sitting in the chair that was by her room, staring at Eugene's door. Well, was until she walked out. He gave her a weak smile. Ipo felt like she had to offer him something, "... During bootcamp... and throughout our service," She spoke quietly to him, "I would have nightmares like this. From Pearl Harbor." Dr. Sledge was listening probably because he needed a distraction from Eugene's terrified grunts, "Eugene would wake me up because he hates being interrupted while sleeping." Dr. Sledge huffed a laugh. "I would wake up... And then immediately go back to sleep, nightmare free."

"Are you suggesting that we wake him up?" He asked.

Ipo shrugged, "I think... that maybe he needs a break from his dreams."

Dr. Sledge assessed her for a moment before nodding and standing, "Why don't you do the honors? I think he'd be less embarrassed if it were you." He patted her shoulder before walking back to his bedroom, escorting his worried wife out of the doorway, and shutting the door behind them. Ipo knocked on Eugene's door loud enough for him to hear through his nightmares. When he went quiet, she tapped gently to make sure he knew that it wasn't bombs or gunshots. Ipo knew what it was like. A few moments later the door opened and Eugene stood there, eyes ragged and hair a mess. She smiled tightly at him before pushing past him into his room. Ipo looked around as she heard the door click closed behind her. The room was very... Eugene-y.

Ipo glanced at Eugene, who was standing there, not really wondering why she was there, before climbing into his bed, which was way more comfortable than her own, leaning her back against the headboard and bringing her knees to her chest. Eugene waited a moment before getting in next to her. They sat there for a long while before a quiet, "... He left me." Was heard. Eugene looked over at her and saw tears trailing down her blank face. She had just been holding it in, trying to keep busy by surrounding herself with Eugene and his family. Ipo suddenly sobbed and Eugene put his arms around her, bringing her into him. She sobbed into his shoulder, asking why Snafu left her and why he didn't love her. Eugene couldn't answer. Instead, he rocked her and shushed her. He didn't know why Snafu left her.

Ipo cried for most of the night until they both fell asleep like that- Ipo's legs resting in his lap while she clutched onto his neck.

Eugene had woken up early. Really early. He had pushed Ipo off of him as gently as possible. She had no problems rolling away from him to where her nose was almost pressed to the wall and cuddling into the soft pillow. He covered her with the blanket before he left, heading outside with coffee. He couldn't believe that he made it. He also couldn't believe that he was shoved back into civilian life. More so, he couldn't believe that Ipo was there, too. That nagging question of " _What am I going to do now_?" beat against the back of his skull over and over again.

Edward came out and they shared a conversation about women that eventually led to his friend, "What about Ipo? She's a girl."

"Not my girl."

"Then, why's she here? I mean, not to sound rude, but Hawaiʻi isn't exactly around the corner."

Eugene stared down into his cup, "She was someone else's girl. Another Marine's. They loved each other, that's for sure. He didn't know, though."

"Know what?"

"That she was a girl." Eugene shook his head, "So many lies were told that I couldn't keep them straight. By the time he knew everything, he couldn't trust her, so... he left. Ipo was stuck on the train and she's my best friend, so I told her that she could come here. Gather herself before going back home."

Edward's eyebrows were furrowed, "If she loved him, why didn't she tell him?"

"... She didn't trust him, either."

They were quiet for a bit before Edward asked, "Is she going to the ball, too?" They heard footsteps in the grass behind them and turned to look at Ipo, who was wearing the same thing as yesterday after she took her bath. Edward took the opportunity to ask, "Ipo, are you going to the ball?"

She stopped next to Eugene's chair, eyebrows raised above her slightly bloodshot eyes, "Ball?"

"It's a fancy kind of party." Eugene informed her, "It's on Friday."

"Oh. Uh... No?" Ipo asked more than stated. She had just woken up and barely brushed her teeth before she went to find Eugene.

"Are you leaving before Friday?" Edward asked.

Ipo rubbed her eyes a little rougher than needed, "I don't know. Eugene?"

"You'll be here Friday." He told her, "Maybe... Maybe you'll leave next Monday."

"What's today?"

"Monday."

Seven days with these people. Ipo supposed she was going to feel like this no matter where she was or who she was with.

"Well, Eugene, you're going. It'd be impolite to leave your guest here by herself."

"It's up to her. I don't care."

"I don't have fancy party clothes." Ipo really didn't want to go and was prepared to pull excuses out of her ass.

"Well, you have your G.I. Bill, don't you? Eugene's going to register for classes later today, he could take you."

Eugene looked up at her, "Maybe you should go to the ball. Save me from all the girls that Ed says are going to want me."

"That's a reason not to go, my friend." Ipo grinned. She could picture it in her head, Eugene with cheeks as red as his hair in a crowd of squealing, adoring women. Picture worthy.

"Here, I'll settle it for you." Edward said, standing with his cup, "Ipo's going to the ball. Eugene's taking Ipo to the nicest clothing store and leaving her to go enroll. There. I'll be back with one of Martha's dresses because, no offense Ipo, but you can't go looking like that." He then left before either of them could say anything.

Ipo looked down at Eugene, "I like your brother."

"Of course you would."

"Can I have a drink of that?" Ipo took Eugene's cup before he could warn her and took a sip before spitting it out onto the grass, coughing.

Eugene laughed at her.

The dress that Edward had gotten was a navy blue circle dress who's sleeves and neck material were connect by loose dark blue netting. It looked a little too ornate, but Eugene was wearing a suit and tie, so maybe it looked alright and she was just being self-conscious about going into a town where she pictured everyone being white and rich and snooty. Breathe, Ipo. Just breathe.

Eugene drove, which was a terrifying experience all on its own, and he took advantage of the fact that she was freaking out over every little bump by swerving occasionally, laughing his ass off at her reactions. Ipo was much more comfortable when Sid was driving. Eugene gave it up after a while and asked, "Have you written your family lately?"

"I wrote them about a week before we were discharged." Ipo responded.

"You should write them again. Let them know where you are."

Ipo looked at him, "Why? I'll be back before the letter even gets there."

Eugene nodded after a moment, "Good point."

"You're nervous." Ipo stated, noticing the little amount of sweat on his forehead and bobbing Adams Apple.

"'Cause I don't want to do it."

"... I know. I'd rather dig a hole and bury myself in it right now."

"That hole better be big enough for two."

"And deep enough so that we can't hear or see anyone else ever again."

Eugene looked at her, "That's a little drastic."

"I'm a very drastic person, Shark Bait, I thought you knew this."

"Maybe it's the dress that's throwing me off."

"Maybe you should shut the fuck up."

Ipo was being stared at by everyone. She looked like a Jap and she had a giant tattoo that she wished, once again, that she had covered. Ipo felt ashamed every time she thought that. That tattoo was her entire life and covering it up made her feel like she was hiding who she was. Eugene took her to cash her G.I. Bill, parking by a movie theatre. They walked down the street, the redhead pointing and telling her things about all the buildings and shops that he thought were important while mothers pulled their children out of Ipo's reach.

Jesus fucking Christ.

Eugene stopped in front of a clothing store, "This is the only store my mother won't go to, so I think you'll like it."

"You know me so well."

Eugene chuckled before pointing, "I'll be over there at Town Hall if you need me."

Ipo eyed the young woman who seemed to be glaring at her from across the street and muttered, "If you hear screaming, know I'm probably getting murdered."

"I'm very sure you'll be fine."

"Right." They stood there for a second before they hugged each other and reluctantly said their goodbyes. Ipo took a moment to watch him walk away before entering the shop, the little bell jingling as she stepped in. Too many racks of clothing lined the walls and there were creepy wooden mannequins sporting brightly colored clothes.

"Hello!"

Ipo looked over at the woman behind the counter. She had been filing her pink nails out and blowing bubbles with her bubblegum out of boredom, but stood at attention when the bell dinged and her dark brown hair was in a peek-a-boo style. She was wearing tight black capri pants and a white top that only covered her breasts and shoulders. Her entire stomach was exposed. "Hi." She laughed, rolling her eyes at herself, "Haven't had a customer in..." She took Ipo's raised eyebrows as a sign that she was being too weird and cleared her throat, "I'm Bunny... Of Bunny's Fashion." She pointed to the name scrawled on the display window, "Do you need help with anything?"

Help of all kinds. Ipo stepped further onto the light wood floor, "I... don't have any clothes. I need... I don't know. Six outfits, maybe? And there's this ball thing. What do you wear at Balls?"

"Oh, you're going to the ball?" Bunny came from behind the counter and started filtering through the clothing racks, picking up a dress or top, holding it up to Ipo's front while speaking, "Me, too. There's this guy. He's a sailor." Bunny giggled, eyes rolling to the ceiling at the thought of him, "His name is John and he's taking me. So. Handsome." She was putting some things back while putting others on the outstretched arm of the mannequin, "He has a tattoo of an anchor on his shoulder, but I'm sure you know all about tattoos because, oh my God, have you seen your arm? That must've hurt like crazy. Anyway, who are you going to the Ball with? You're going with someone, right?"

"... I guess-"

Bunny squealed, "Is he cute?"

"I guess?"

Bunny had forgotten about the clothes, "What kind of man is he? Sailor? Army? Marine? Intelligence Officer? Being smart is so sexy these days."

"Marine." Ipo jumped in. It was very overwhelming and she thought she could hear the familiar ringing coming back into her ears, but it was just the bell above the door.

"Two customers in one day! Lucky me! But, uh, I don't sell men's clothes. Sorry, guy!"

Ipo turned and saw Eugene entering the shop, not looking happy. He motioned to Ipo with his head, "I'm here for her."

"Eugene!" Ipo sighed with obvious relief, "That didn't take you long."

"Oh!" Bunny smiled wider than what seemed humanly possible, "Is this him? The marine? The cute one? The one you're going to the ball with?"

"Thank you, Bunny, for saying all of that out loud." Ipo said quietly through gritted teeth.

"Oops." Bunny covered her pink mouth briefly before saying, "I'm so sorry. I talk a lot. Anyway, I guarantee these are perfect for you and, what else was I getting? Oh, yeah! The dress for the Ball. Gotcha. I'll be right back, don't go anywhere. Unless I scared you off by now, which I totally understand. I'll be back!" Bunny's black heels clicked as she quickly walked to the back, giving a quick wave to Eugene, who looked just as perplexed as Ipo did.

Ipo looked at Eugene, mouthing, " _Oh my God_."

He walked over the the clothes on the arm and started looking through them, "You said I'm cute?"

"No, actually, I didn't."

"Oh, you did too!" Bunny was back, carrying a dress that was covered in a bag, "I asked, " _is he cute_?" and you said, " _I guess_?" Which doesn't mean "no"."

"How, out of all the talking you've done, do you remember that?" Ipo asked her, all politeness out of the door.

Bunny just laughed as she took all of the clothes from Eugene, "I have a great memory. Anyway, I figured since your honey's here, you wouldn't want him to see the dress. But, trust me, you'll love it. You'll love all of them, promise!" Bunny rang them up and Ipo paid, "Please, come back any time. See you at the Ball!"

"Thanks. Good luck with John." Ipo was already halfway out. The last thing Eugene and her heard was Bunny's squeal.

"My Lord." Eugene said when they were out of earshot of the store, "Now I know why Mother never goes in there."

"I think my head's going to explode." Ipo laughed, "She was nice, though."

Eugene side-eyed her, "We're not going to have another Annalise situation are we?"

"Absolutely not. I've sworn off women. And men. Both of them can go to hell."

"I agree. Fuck 'em." Eugene said, causing an old woman who was walking by to gasp and cover her mouth. Eugene and Ipo almost giggled together like little girls.

They got to the car and Ipo put all the clothes in the back before they hopped in. "Are you enrolled in school?"

Eugene was quiet for a moment, starting the car, "... No."

Ipo looked at him, "Why? What happened?"

"It's just... Not for me. Not yet."

Ipo patted his knee, "Do what you want."

Eugene grabbed her hand, "That 'hole' plan sounded like a good idea."

Martha came over later that day to take her dress back. Either she was very possessive over her clothes or she wanted to preview everything that Ipo bought. Eugene tried to come into the room with them mostly because he was just used to being next to Ipo all the time, but Martha shoved him out, laughing as she slammed the door in his face. She didn't want to be trapped in the room with this sensationally giddy woman, but it was like Martha was trying to push Ipo into the world that she had been absent from for a long while. Ipo wondered if she and Edward had a conversation. _"You should help her. Poor girl doesn't know how to be a girl any more." "Why, you're completely right, dear. Let's help her forget the horrors that she's seen by making her try on clothes!"_

Ipo suddenly realized as she put on a white off the shoulder top with a high-waisted white skirt that had large blue and grey roses with green leaves that she was becoming Eugene. The Okinawa Eugene. The one who was always cynical and hateful towards anyone who didn't understand. It was rude to constantly make fun of Eugene's family, even if it was only in her head. Was she like this before the war? Did she make fun of every naive person with pale skin and a large bank account? That wasn't how she was raised. She was raised to practice Aloha. To love and accept everyone.

She had no Aloha in her soul.

"Earth to Ipo?" Martha snapped her fingers before jumping and staring wide-eyed at the suddenly sobbing Ipo. "Oh. Oh, God. Is it the skirt? You don't like the skirt?" Ipo collapsed where she stood, burying her head into her knees. It was out of Martha's expertise, apparently, as she ran out of the room yelling, "Eugene!"

Footsteps came clamoring up the stairs and three pairs of eyes were staring down at her before Eugene snapped out of the shock of seeing her undone without any reason before stepping into the room and shutting the door on Edward and Martha. He quickly knelt on the floor next to Ipo and pulled her to him, "What's wrong?" He didn't want to ask, but it was just strange.

"Naʻau ʻino au!" Ipo sobbed into his chest.

He pushed her away and held her face, smoothing her hair away from her puffy face, "You're not speaking English."

There were large juicy tear drops running down her face as she tried to catch her breath before saying, "Evil. I'm evil."

The words on the tip of his tongue were, " _What the fuck_?" And " _No, you're not_." But, he choked on both of those. Instead, he hugged her tightly and rubbed her back, rocking a little like he did the night before. Like everyone else who had come out of the war, she was falling apart. There was no constant fight that they had to be strong through. They were pushing hard against nothing and falling flat as a result.

Ipo very suddenly stopped crying and sat up, her back against the side of the bed, wiping her face, "Man. I don't know where that came from."

"You gave me a fucking heart attack." Eugene mirrored her position.

"I don't think I did Martha any good, either." Ipo muttered.

Eugene looked down at her, "That outfit looks pretty good on you."

"The tear stains complement the flowers very well." Ipo was joking. That was good. Eugene agreed. "...I think the fashion show is over. You wanna break the news to Martha?"

"You didn't start crying just to make her go away, did you?"

"I wish."

Ipo didn't come down for dinner. Eugene told his parents that she wasn't feeling well. That she's been through too much. Her words and the way she looked when she said it was stuck in Eugene's mind. She fully believed what she had said, even if she tried to play it off and pretend that she said nothing. Before he went to bed he peeked his head in to tell her good night, but saw that she was already sleeping and left.

She was only pretending. Ipo laid awake and let all of the salty water that was left in her eyes leak into the pillow beneath her. She didn't sleep an ounce. She didn't go to Eugene when she heard him toss and turn. Ipo was paralyzed as she laid on her stomach and stared at the little bit of moonlight that seeped through the sheer white curtains and she was pretty certain that drool was pooling out of her parted mouth. But, she couldn't move. It was her body's defense against all the pain that suddenly attacked her. The pain that was never going away. The pain that she purposefully piled on with hopes that it'd just cancel out.

The worst pain of all being the one with stormy eyes and curly hair.

The next day, Ipo tried her best to look like she didn't have a random major break down. She wore the outfit that she cried onto and she ate like she was hungry. She sought out Edna and almost scared the elderly woman by hugging her and thanking her profusely for giving her the best food she'd had in years. Mrs. Sledge had walked in and gasped, asking Ipo what she was doing. Apparently hugging Miss Edna (as Ipo had started calling her) was an odd sight. Edna told Ipo to never do it again or she could get fired. Ipo said that if Edna got fired, she'd take her to Hawaiʻi with her and she could cook for Ipo forever. Edna thought that was funny.

Eugene always stuck close to Ipo, but this time he almost always had his eyes on her, watching to see any sign that she was going to explode. He should've just left her alone. If he was in that situation, he'd want to be left alone. So, it didn't come as a surprise when he turned away for one second and she was gone as quick as lightning. It was a big house and for once Ipo was happy about it. She didn't want to offend Eugene or anything, but she felt on edge and being around any people at all made her want to teeter over again. Ipo just had to breathe for minute by herself before she tried to walk the wire again.

Ipo ended up in the library, that was strangely in the basement. She went through the door that was under the stairs and she thought it was going to be a closet. That's right, Ipo was going to hang out in a closet. But, it wasn't a closet, so now she's hanging out in the underground library that had three shelves mostly filled with medical books, a couple of comfy looking chairs next to a round table and a piano tucked away in the far corner. Ipo was delighted. She knew how to play the piano- sort of. She spent most of her time with guitars, ʻukulele, and the gourd, the latter of which was when she was getting more in depth with Hula. The only time Ipo had time with a piano was after she was done singing at the hale hulahula that she frequented when no one else was there but her and Analu. He was very good at the piano. And the guitar. And ʻukulele. One guess as to who taught her how to play those.

Ipo sat down at it and just began pressing random keys one at a time to just get her memory going. She wasn't one for memorizing existing songs, but she was amazing at writing her own. In her mind, anyway. Ipo sang and played a song that she wrote about a year after Pearl Harbor.

Upstairs, Eugene said to his parents as they sat in the sitting room, "I didn't know she could play the piano."

"She's very good." Dr. Sledge said.

"I thought it was a little... Depressing." Mrs. Sledge sipped her tea.

"Lighten up, Mary Frank." Dr. Sledge responded before turning to Eugene, "Was she a musician? Before the war."

"Yes. And a Hula Dancer."

"A Hula Dancer!" Mrs. Sledge exclaimed, "Those half-naked girls with the grass skirts?"

"Ipo only was half-naked to distract the tourists while she picked their pockets." Eugene smiled at his mother, drinking his own tea to not laugh at her shocked expression. He was pretty sure that Ipo was full of shit when she said that she stole from them.

At dinner, Dr. Sledge commented on it. Ipo's face turned so red that she was certain that they were able to see it. She thought that , since the room was under the foundation, that they wouldn't be able to hear her. They needed thicker floors. "I didn't recognize the tune." Dr. Sledge said.

She wanted to keep her mouth shut, her throat trying to seize up as a refusal to answer, but Eugene wasn't answering for her, "... I wrote it."

"Oh, really?" Mrs. Sledge said, "It was quite better than one would expect."

"What's that supposed to mean, mother?"

"I'm sure she means that it's better than anything you could do, Eugene." Ipo said. Dr. Sledge chuckled. Ipo knew that that wasn't really what Mrs. Sledge meant.

Later that night at about midnight, instead of hearing Eugene's cries, there was a quiet knock at her door. She was still awake because she was afraid to sleep. Ipo answered it slowly, her mind paranoid even when it didn't need to be. On the other side of the door was a tired Eugene who was still up for probably the same reason she was. He wordlessly grabbed her arm and pulled her after him into his room, shutting the door behind them. Ipo just laid down in his bed, Eugene joining her, and they both fell asleep peacefully.

The next couple of days went by uneventful. They just lounged around outside, quiet as mouses. The only exciting thing to happen was on Thursday morning when Mrs. Sledge came in to wake her son up only to see Ipo and him lying back-to-back. They weren't cuddling like lovers, but sharing the same bed was enough to make her let out a quick scream. The two of them had bolted straight up. Screaming in the presence of sleeping ex-marines was never a good idea as Ipo yelled, "Get down!" And tackled Eugene down onto the wooden floor, trying to make him keep his head down as he was trying to tell her that it was okay.

"Ipo!" He actually smacked her across the face in front of his mother, who gasped loudly and covered her mouth. Dr. Sledge had finally made it to the door to witness the thick tense silence.

Ipo rubbed her cheek, "... What happened?"

After Ipo and Eugene got dressed, Mrs. Sledge was waiting at the bottom of the stairs, her arms crossed and lips pursed like Ipo's own mother used to do when she was in trouble. Mrs. Sledge said that it was unethical for them to sleep together, to which Ipo awkwardly blurted out, "We're not having sex." And the lady of the house's eyes went as wide as dinner plates like the mere word was the very sin. Eugene tried to explain that it was the only way that either of them could sleep, but Mrs. Sledge wouldn't drop it until Dr. Sledge (who kept telling her to call him Edward, but Eugene's brother was Edward, so she didn't want to get confused) told her that there was no harm in it and that they've been through Hell, so leave them alone.

It seemed like Mrs. Sledge hated Ipo with each passing minute as opposed to the 'days' that she had been going by.

But, then Friday came and Mrs. Sledge took full advantage of the fact that Ipo was a girl and offered (almost violently insisted) to do Ipo's hair. The Hawaiian put on the dress that was meant for the Ball. It was white with giant dark pink roses and thin spaghetti straps. It was an A-Line that flowed down to just under her knees. Mrs. Sledge kept eying her exposed shoulders and chest as she brushed through Ipo's thick hair for the fiftieth time, "Maybe you should wear a sweater." It was the tattoos. The way that the two small orchids at the top of her shoulder caressed her collar bone probably pissed the traditional southern woman off.

"It's a little... hot outside." Ipo responded, trying not to flinch as Mrs. Sledge pulled a section of her hair a little roughly to put a heated roller in it.

"I know you may have forgotten, but modesty is still the first rule of being a lady."

Be nice to Eugene's mother. Be nice to Eugene's mother. "I grew up in Hawaiʻi, ma'am. I used to wear less clothing than this."

"You're not in Hawaiʻi, any more."

"You're right. It's hotter here." Ipo deserved the harsh tug of her hair. She was being a smartass.

"I just don't want Eugene getting any ideas."

"Your son doesn't have ideas. Not about me." Ipo felt that she had to express how it was to the woman. To get her to understand, "Mrs. Sledge... Eugene is a gift from Heaven. I love him because he's the best friend I ever had. He loves me because I'm one of his best friends. It's never gone beyond that and it never will. His purity is safe from me. He's not the one for me and I'm not the one for him." In Ipo's mind, she still belonged to _him_.

Mrs. Sledge was quiet as she put the rest of the rollers into her hair before she leaned her back against her vanity, handing a dark pink lipstick to Ipo, "How do you know he feels that way?"

Ipo gave a little smile, "I can just tell. They didn't call us "the twins" for nothing." She uncapped the lipstick and put it on.

Mrs. Sledge handed her mascara next, ""The twins"? What else did they call my Eugene?"

"I call him Shark Bait." Ipo said as she coated her eyelashes, "Everyone else called him Sledgehammer." Mrs. Sledge actually chuckled.

She grabbed Ipo's jaw and angled her cheek up so that she could get a better look at the bruise that Eugene had left, "I don't have anything your shade..."

"I don't think anyone will notice." Ipo responded. Mrs. Sledge pursed her lips for a moment before she started taking out the rollers, Ipo's hair bouncing.

"Your hair is too thick. You need to use conditioner." Mrs. Sledge said while brushing at the curls, trying to make them look united. It didn't look bad.

"Yes, ma'am." Ipo opted to say instead of explaining that there was no hair product in the world that could tame her hair.

"Okay. You're done. Off you go, I have to get ready now." Mrs. Sledge shooed her out.

Ipo went downstairs where Eugene and Dr. Sledge were talking in the sitting room about going hunting the next week. Eugene looked a little nervous about it, but he still smiled at his father. It was her black heels that gave her away and they both turned to look at her. Eugene rose his eyebrows, "You're a girl!"

"Really? You don't say?" Dr. Sledge spoke sarcastically to his son.

"It surprises me every time." Eugene twirled his finger at her, "Give us a spin."

"Shut up." Ipo grumbled, crossing her arms. She felt self-conscious. Like he was making fun of her.

Eugene laughed before pulling her into a tight hug, "You look beautiful."

"So do you." Ipo said as they pulled away from each other, "The longness of your tie distracts from the wideness of your nose." She squeezed his nose, wiggling it before Eugene slapped her hand away.

They were just playing, grinning at each other until Dr. Sledge cleared his throat, "Eugene, maybe don't be so heavy handed, alright?"

Ipo didn't want Eugene to feel bad, so she immediately said, "It's okay, Dr. Sledge. My little sister can hit harder than him."

"No." Dr. Sledge was serious, making the twins' smiles drop from their faces, "It's not. People will be asking about that." He nodded his head at her cheek, "I don't want this to become a habit."

"If he hit me any harder, I would've broken his arm." She sounded just as serious.

"I am in the room, you know." Eugene liked this conversation even less than Ipo.

Ipo looked at him, "Sorry. I would've broken your arm."

"I know you would have." Eugene turned to his father, "I didn't do it for fun. She was in a... state."

"This better be pleasant conversation that we're having down here." Mrs. Sledge came down the stairs. Dr. Sledge smiled and greeted his wife happily, kissing her cheek, telling her that she looked lovely.

While Eugene's parents were doting on each other, Ipo grabbed his hand and whispered to him, "It's okay."

He squeezed her hand before letting it go, whispering back, "I know."

They then went to the Ball. It took a while to get there, but not as long as it took to get to town. The place they were going to was on the Mobile Bay, which was part of the Gulf of Mexico. Geography wasn't something that she learned. Mostly because before the war, she kept herself in her own little happy cluster of islands and forget that the rest of the world existed. It was dark when they got there and, although the pāʻina was in full swing, people were still arriving. Rich people with fancy cars and nice suits and pretty dresses were mixed in with all of the servicemen. Ipo asked Eugene why he wasn't wearing his uniform and he repeated that question to her, so she dropped it as they pulled up.

"Why is the house so big?" She whispered to herself.

"Rich people don't have anything better to spend it on." Dr. Sledge responded with a smile. She wished that her returned smile wasn't as spiteful as it was.

They all got out of the car and Ipo grasped Eugene's hand as a reflex. Luckily, their hands met midway, which meant that he was reaching for her hand, too. So, she wasn't the only loser. Immediately, Dr. and Mrs. Sledge were called over to some friends of theirs and they bid goodbye to Eugene and Ipo. There was loud swing music and laughing coming from inside the large white building. "Do we go in there?" Ipo asked.

"... I suppose so." Eugene answered. Still, the backs of their legs didn't move from the car.

"Let's go, then."

"You're not going to make me dance, are you?"

"I might."

"Maybe we shouldn't go inside."

"You two better get your behinds up here!" Came a shouting from the porch of the house. It was Sid with a pretty girl laughing and waving at Eugene.

"Is that Mary Houston?"

"Don't get any ideas." Eugene muttered to her before waving back and pulling Ipo after him to where his friend was, hugging Sid.

Sid looked at her as Eugene hugged Mary, whistling, "Damn, Ipo! You clean up good!"

"Nice dress blues, haole." Ipo and Sid hugged like he and Eugene did because, once again, it wasn't just her that forgot she was a girl.

"What does that mean?" He asked.

"Probably something bad." Eugene answered for her.

"Ipo, this is my bride-to-be, my future ball-and-chain, and also the love of my life, Mary Houston." He pulled a black-haired girl with a permanent blush on her fair skin to his side. Mary Houston was absolutely beautiful and Ipo felt that side of her that made her want to kiss girls turn its head. She understood why every person in Mobile would love her.

Ipo shook her hand, "Nice to meet you, Mary Houston. I have to ask; The hell are you marrying this fool for?" To her delight, Mary laughed. A girl with a sense of humor was good.

"Eugene, get a handle on her before she scares Mary away." Sid said.

"I couldn't get a handle on her if I tried." Eugene replied.

Ipo patted his shoulder, "See, Mary, you've got to take no shit early on."

Mary laughed again, "I got that down." She turned to Sid and grabbed his hand, "Let's go dance." Sid shook his head at Eugene as he was being dragged inside.

Ipo looked at Eugene, "Mary Houston is... Wow. I think _my_ spine's on fire."

"I said don't get any ideas." Eugene pushed her head before they decided to follow Sid and Mary inside. It was much louder in there. And much more bodies. All moving and dancing and laughing. It looked like a madhouse to her, even though she used to go to places like this for fun almost nightly. "What the hell are we doing here?" Eugene muttered to her.

"Trying to be normal." She answered back.

"Dance with us!" Mary shouted at them, laughing with joy as her and Sid swung around.

"No." Eugene told Ipo more than he told them.

There was a squeal off in the distance that sounded a bit familiar followed by a loud, "Hey! Hey, you!"

Eugene's face paled as his eyes made contact with something, "Oh, Lord."

"Wha-" Ipo looked to where he was looking and it wasn't hard to spot Bunny dragging a poor man through the crowd quickly towards them, "-Fuck."

"You're on your own." Eugene tried to move, but Ipo gripped his arm hard, giving him bruises of his own.

"Hey!" Bunny stopped in front of them, grin wide enough to split her face, "You're wearing the dress! It looks so pretty on you, like I knew it would. What's your name? I never got to ask in the shop."

"My name is Ipo and this is Eugene." She spoke quickly as she tugged Eugene closer to her side.

"Your name's what?" The man- who was more than likely John- asked loudly. He was drunk, that was certain.

"Ipo!" Eugene shouted clearly so that he could hear.

John laughed, "That's fuckin' weird."

Bunny rolled her eyes, "Don't mind him. He's a little..." She made a drinking motion, "But, he's so cute. Anyway, Ipo? That's exotic! Where are you from? You look Japanese, are you Japanese? Or Philipino? Or-"

"Hawaiian." Ipo interrupted.

"I was in Hawaiʻi!" John shouted.

"Maybe you should've stayed!" Eugene shouted back. John stared at him before he started laughing.

"I heard it's really nice there." Bunny said, "Not for me, though. I'm from up north, but I'm stuck down here because there was this guy I was with- it's a long story, you don't need to know about it. Anyway, how'd you end up here? Was Eugene stationed in Hawaiʻi and then you two met and fell in love and you stowed away with him to get married?" She had a far off look in her eye. She was a sucker for romance.

"No."

"Absolutely not."

Ipo and Eugene answered at the same time. Ipo added, "It's a long story. I'm going back on Monday."

"Oh, no!" Bunny frowned, "So soon? There's no way you've already experience Mobile properly, I mean, have you even looked at the Bay, yet? Had hush puppies? I love hush puppies, they are so-"

John groaned, "Hush, puppy." Before shoving his lips onto Bunny's and practically dragging her away while Bunny tried to wave goodbye to them, but she was preoccupied.

"I think I'm going to throw up." Eugene said.

"Yeah, me too... I'm going to go get some air." Ipo quickly walked out of the building like she hadn't just entered it, leaving Eugene alone in the corner. Ipo's ears were starting to ring and she didn't think it was from the loud noise. She encountered a waiter with a tray of champagne flutes and took two, chugging them both down before sitting the empty glasses back on the tray and grabbing another one to not chug.

"You might want to slow down." The waiter said, eyes a little wide.

Ipo clasped her hand on his shoulder, "I've killed people. I don't have to do shit." She smiled and patted his shoulder before walking off of the porch, sipping the alcohol. It wasn't a good idea, but she was going back to Hawaiʻi in three days and the ringing was too loud. Ipo went down the steps and headed towards the secluded trees next to the dock. There were people on that dock and she didn't want to be next to them, so the trees were the best bet. Ipo stared at the pretty water as it rippled and reflected the moonlight. Champagne tasted good. It didn't take her that long to finish the flute and she just sat the glass down on the grass. It was really pretty, the Mobile Bay. It was a huge body of water that wasn't the Pacific.

Perfect.

Ipo stood there for a bit before realizing that it was completely selfish of her to just abandon Eugene like she did. She had to tear herself away from the water as she walked back towards the house. It didn't take her long to find Eugene. He was sitting on the steps talking to Sid.

"-I don't dance until Eugene Sledge wants to dance."

Ipo came out of nowhere, wrapping her arms loosely around his neck which made him jump a little until he realized it was her, and rested her forehead on his temple, "You want to dance, Eugene?" Before anyone could answer, Ipo spotted that waiter from earlier with a replenished tray and left again with a little, "Oh!" Going up the stairs two at a time while temporarily using Sid's head as a railing. Ipo stopped abruptly before the waiter and took a flute.

"What did you mean when you said you killed people?" He immediately asked her, looking at her with suspicion.

She paused the rim of the glass at her lips, looking at him with a blank expression. She had temporarily forgotten. "Oh." She laughed a little, "I was just playing around to shut you up." He looked like he was slowly believing her before he was beckoned by an old woman and he left to cater to her.

Ipo went back and sat down next to Eugene, him looking at her with raised eyebrows, "You sure you should be doing that?"

"This is my fourth, so it's no use in stopping me."

Then, Mary Houston came out, calling, "Sidney Phillips!"

"Yeah?" Sid answered like he was being snapped out of something that he shouldn't have been in.

"You get back in here and dance with the woman who loves you!"

"I'm comin' boss lady!" Sid stood before turning to them, "Why don't you come on in? I'll wrangle you a partner."

Eugene laughed, "No."

"The only one who could wrangle Eugene a partner would be me." Ipo said, "Because I'd be that partner."

"This is why you're a bachelor." Sid said, "Because she's hanging around you all the time."

"I'd rather hang around her." Eugene nodded to the impatiently waiting Mary, "Go on, now."

When they were alone, Ipo said, "I was just joking. I'm sure several ladies would love to dance with you."

"I know." Eugene said confidently, "I said that for your sake."

Ipo laughed, "You don't think I can get my own dancing partner?"

"No offense, Ipo, but... Not in this town."

Ipo drank down the rest of her champagne. She was definitely between tipsy and drunk, leaning towards the latter side. She stood, "I'm going to prove you wrong.

"Please, don't embarrass yourself."

"It's either that or steal that pretty car over there."

"That's our car, Ipo."

"Oh." Ipo laughed again before clearing her throat, "Wish me luck." She turned and went to go up the stairs, but she turned back to him, "Excuse me, sir, I saw you sitting here alone and - stop laughing, this is serious- I was wondering if you'd like to dance with me."

Eugene was grinning, "I don't count."

"Hey, I dance with who I want to dance with and I want to dance with Eugene Sledge." Ipo grabbed his hands and pouted like she used to do with Analu, "You don't want to dance with me?"

"You want to go in _there_?" He asked.

"We can hear the music from here." Ipo pulled him up, "Please?"

"Okay, okay. Fine." Eugene sighed and they began slow dancing right where they were, "You're a very happy drunk. Maybe you should drink all the time."

Ipo pulled a guilty face, "... But, I did something bad."

"What?"

"I stole your necklace."

"What?" Eugene stopped their swaying to feel for his cross necklace. It was gone. Ipo took her hand from behind his neck, brandishing the gold necklace. He rolled his eyes and took it from her, clasping it back around his neck.

"And while I was telling you that, I stole your watch." She held it up to show him with a cheeky grin. Eugene snatched the watch out of her hand and put it back on. Maybe she did used to pick pockets.

"No stealin' things, Ipo."

"What if I give it back?"

"No." Eugene said sternly before placing his arm back around her waist to continue dancing with her.

"Alright. Fine. But, only because you're higher rank."

The rest of the party went fine. Ipo didn't try to steal any of the jewelry that she wanted to or embarrass herself. She ran into Bunny only once more, but she was a little preoccupied with John. He was very handsy, but he was also a sailor. They left before Sid and Mary did because Eugene's parents were older and got tired quicker. Sid offered to take them home if they wanted to stay, but both Ipo and Eugene didn't want to be around the noise and people any more. Ipo fell asleep briefly on the way back, her head against the window. The Sledge family took that opportunity to talk.

"How'd she do?" Dr. Sledge asked Eugene quietly.

Eugene didn't feel comfortable talking about Ipo seriously. He was always joking about her, but after the past few days it was obvious that Ipo was not okay. "... She ran off at first, but she was okay."

"How are you?" Mrs. Sledge asked.

"Fine." Even if he wasn't, he wouldn't let his parents know. He didn't have as much trouble as he thought he would, but it still felt like he had just went through Hell. Even when he was having a good time, it just drained everything out of him. The only thing that made him even a little comfortable was when he was alone. With the exception of Ipo, but that was a given.

They got back to the house and Eugene nudged Ipo awake. They all piled into the house, all of them saying good night to each other. Ipo didn't even play. She just walked into Eugene's room because she going to end up in there anyway. Eugene averted his eyes as she comically unzipped her dress and started getting undressed himself, not even paying any mind to Ipo as she opened his dresser and put on one of his shirts. She must've thought that being in her panties was just fine, since she didn't put on any boxers or pants.

Eugene sat down on his bed, rubbing the stress out of his eyes. Funnily enough, it was still there. Ipo suddenly straddled him, lying her head on his shoulder and hugged him around the shoulders. Eugene rubbed her back, trying not to make contact with her bare thighs. Ipo muttered, "I appreciate you."

Eugene chuckled, "Thank you."

"And I love you."

"I love you, too, Ipo."

Ipo pulled away and pecked his lips like she always did, but she paused when she pulled away before kissing him again, not like she always did. Eugene kissed back immediately, so it wasn't like he was surprised. His lips were soft. He ran his hands up her sides as the kiss deepened; Ipo pressed and ground into him. The friction snapped Eugene out of it. He pushed her away, looking down at the ground, "You're drunk."

Ipo felt like she was just woken up from an oddly pleasant dream and she sat there for a moment, looking down at Eugene as it sunk in. "Oh, God. I'm sorry." Ipo got off of him, sitting with her back against the wall and knees to her chest, "I'm so sorry."

"It's fine."

"This is why I'm not supposed to drink. I do stupid shit."

Eugene rubbed his eyes again, "You're the one who insisted on having six glasses of champagne."

Ipo groaned and fell over, pulling a pillow over her head, her voice muffled as she asked, "Do you want me to leave?"

"Don't be stupid." He said, laying down next to her. He grumbled to himself, "I don't even want you to leave on Monday. Leave me all alone with these people."

Ipo was quiet for a long while. He thought she fell asleep, but she eventually pushed the pillow off of her head and rolled onto her back, staring up at the ceiling for a moment before saying, "I... Spent a lot of money on those clothes. Maybe... I should get a job. Get some more money before I leave."

Eugene knew she was full of shit. The clothes weren't that expensive and neither was an end of the line train ticket. He knew that she knew that his mother would give her as much money as needed to get the girl to leave their lives. Ipo had never said to him that she didn't want to go home. When she stared at Hawaiʻi as they passed it on the ship, he thought that she was going to jump off then and there. So, she was staying for him.

Eugene was a very selfish person these days, "... Yeah."

Ipo pulled the covers up over their bodies and rolled over onto her stomach, her nose almost touching the cold wall. Like how she always slept. Ipo's breathing slowed pretty quickly and she was asleep. Eugene followed soon after.

 **~~~ A/N ~~~**

Only one chapter left. The song in this chapter is Seven Devils by Florence and the Machine. English translations:

 _He fucking lōlō ʻoe_. - You're a fucking idiot.

 _Sucer mes couilles_. - Suck my balls.

 _Auē_ \- Wow

 _Pepehi ā make iaʻu_. - Beat me to death.

 _Haole_ \- Caucasian

 _Hale hulahula_ \- Club

 _Pāʻina_ \- Party


	8. End

**~~~ A/N ~~~**

 **There's a lot of Hawaiian in this one, so you might want to bring the story up in a different tab and read along with the English translations at the bottom.**

Ipo's job search started the moment she woke up. The hangover she was experiencing was a bitch, but she had been through worse. She wore a white skirt with a blue and white striped short sleeved crop top and she mentally thanked the high-waisted styles that hid the gruesome scar on her side. Ipo had busted off the heels of the black shoes and turned them into flats because she was going to walk to town after she quickly scanned the job listings. There was a very narrow list of things that Ipo could do. She had only ever done one thing (that didn't involve extreme violence), so that's what she was looking for. There weren't any musicians or dancers wanted. Ipo wasn't one for giving up, however.

Eugene insisted that she don't go by herself and even offered to walk with her, but Ipo told him to spend some alone time with his family. He didn't tell his parents that she was staying and didn't plan to until Monday. Ipo couldn't wait for that. It wasn't awkward between her and Eugene. They'd seen each other shit for God's sake, they weren't going to let drunken mistakes ruin anything. There was this guilt that was eating through her back and she tried to think it away. It wasn't that she basically attacked Eugene and she refused to let the face and name sink into the forefront of her mind, but she was already thinking about him, wasn't she? Ipo wasn't feeling much sadness about it any more. She was bitter. She was going to be that person who was bitter for the rest of their lives because of that one lost lo-

Ipo was making herself sick from how disgusting she sounded.

Walking to town was nicer than driving. Her surroundings passed a lot slower and she could enjoy them more. She came to the same conclusion as before, however. Mobile was flat. And so were the people. Mobile was a big place with a lot of different night clubs who all seemed to have a stable act that performed. Or, they didn't like the way Ipo looked. She was exhausted, her head was pounding, her patience was wearing thin, and if one more person looked at her with a sneer she was going to rip some faces off. Ipo basically marched into the last club that had been at all possible to find and leaned onto the bar, asking not very politely for the owner, who actually was the person behind the counter but that didn't stop her from almost demanding for him to give her a job.

His response was to laugh, "Just you? No way. Everyone digs those Andrews Sisters these days."

"If I get a group, then I can have a job?"

"An audition." He stressed, "I have a band playing on Thursdays without any singers, but good luck getting your act together by then."

"I'll be back." Ipo then turned and marched right back out onto the street while he laughed at her.

Ipo walked down the sidewalk thinking that she might have gotten ahead of herself. How the fuck was she supposed to get two other people who could sing decently that even wanted to do it? All before Thursday. If Mrs. Sledge didn't kick her out. Honestly, even if she kicked her out, Eugene would probably set up a tent for her in the backyard. Such a sweet man.

Ipo stopped walking, slowly backtracking and staring into the store front at the woman who was talking on the phone. She didn't think it over before bursting into the shop and walking up to her, "You don't get a lot of business."

Bunny blinked at her, saying into the phone, "... I'll call you back."

"I mean that you must have a lot of free time." Ipo realized that what she had said might've been rude, "I mean... Do you sing?"

Bunny scoffed, "Of course I sing! Who doesn't? I tell you, though, there are definitely some people who shouldn't, I mean, my cousin Carol-"

"I'm staying in town longer than I thought and this guy said that I can perform at his club if I get a couple of other girls."

Bunny's eyes widened, "And you think that I could do that? Be up on a stage and singing in front of people?" She paused before squealing, jumping up and down while clapping, "Yes! Yes, yes, yes!"

Ipo snorted, "Hold it, Bunny. I have to hear you sing, first."

"Oh! Okay, okay. Um..." Bunny thought a moment before singing _Beginning To See the Light by Ella Fitzgerald_ and Ipo thanked whoever responsible for giving Bunny decent vocal chords.

Ipo stopped her, "You're good. I'm surprised all that talking you do didn't mess with your voice." Bunny stared before Ipo said, "I'm teasing."

Bunny laughed, "Oh, okay. So...?"

"So, are you busy Thursdays?"

"I'm not busy until the weekends. That's when I go out with John. Like, next weekend, he said he's going to take me to the movies to see that new film 'Notorious', but I don't think we'll be watching it much." Bunny giggled.

"That's nice." It was not nice, "Do you know anyone else who has a lot of free time?"

Bunny shrugged, "Just Cousin Carol. But, like I said, she's terrible. Like a dying cat." Ipo groaned and leaned on the counter, putting her head in her hands as Bunny continued, "We should totally get a name. Like... The Strange Women... Because we're strange, y'know, with your tattoos and my constant talking. Oh! Or The Cute Girls because we're cute, too!"

The mention of cute girls made Ipo perk up, "Bunny, may I use your phone?"

"Sure. Who you callin'?"

Ipo dialed Eugene's number, since the boy made her memorize it in case she got arrested or something and waited for the ringing to stop. It was Mrs. Sledge that picked up, "Hello, Sledge residence, this is Mary speaking."

"Aloha, Mrs. Sledge, is Eugene there?"

"Ipo?"

"Yes." Who the fuck else would answer with 'Aloha'? Maybe it was Mrs. Sledge's wishful thinking.

"Alright. One moment."

There was silence on the other end for what seemed like forever with Bunny mouthing questions at her before she heard, "Ipo? You okay? Where are you?"

"Fine. At Bunny's shop." Ipo said. She hoped she didn't sound like she was lying by trying to sound overly alright, "I was wondering if Mary Houston was good at singing."

"Absolutely not. She tried to sing along with the band at the party. It wasn't pretty."

"Ah, fuck." Ipo sighed before asking, "What about Martha? I don't know many people."

"I don't know, Ipo, I've never heard her sing."

"Could you get her to call me? Right now?"

"What's the hurry?"

"It'll take too much time to explain, that's how 'hurry' it is."

Eugene laughed at her, "Alright, alright. I'll try."

Ipo gave him the number that was printed on the front of the phone before hanging up. She felt like tapping her foot. Bunny rose her eyebrows, "How does your man know Mary Houston?"

Ipo took the distraction, "First, he's not my man. He's my best friend. And Mary Houston is marrying _his_ best friend, Sid. Also, Eugene apparently used to be in love with her."

"Everyone's in love with Mary Houston. I can't believe she's getting hitched! So many hearts are going to be broken."

"Eugene's going to be the best man."

"Will you be at the wedding?"

Ipo shook her head, "I don't know."

"Who's Martha?"

"Eugene's sister-in-law."

Bunny laughed, "Wow, you really don't have anyone to yourself, do you?"

"What?"

"Everyone's 'Eugene's this' and 'Eugene's that'. You need to branch out! Make your own friends!"

Ipo blinked at her, "... I've been here for a week." That and the thought of making friends made her spine want to buckle like someone placed a heavy rock on it. Before Pearl Harbor, she was an acquired taste. Ipo always treated everyone with the same intensity and it made a lot of people hate her for the same reason why others loved her. Every time she thought back to who she used to be, she wondered how anyone could put up with her. Now that she thought about it, Past Ipo was much like Drunk Ipo.

"Still. I'm like the only person that Eugene hasn't introduced you to."

"Well, he did tell me to shop here."

"Oh, my God!" Bunny laughed, "You're obsessed with him!"

"Trust me, I'm not."

"Well, you talk about him a hell of a lot." Bunny was a hypocrite, but then again, she never said that she wasn't obsessed with John. Ipo did think and talk about Eugene a lot, but not because she was obsessed with him. She just cared about him.

"Yeah, well-" Ipo was cut off by the phone ringing and she immediately picked it up, beating Bunny to it, "This is Ipo."

"Ipo, this is Martha, but I'm sure you knew that." She laughed pleasantly, "Eugene said that you needed to talk to me?"

"Yes, I was wondering if you are free on Thursdays, if you could sing, and if you would like to sing _on_ Thursdays."

Martha laughed again, "What? I don't know... I don't think Edward would like-"

"Edward is a Sledge and I can tell you that Sledge men are push overs."

"Ipo, I don't know if I can sing. I've never..."

"Do it now, over the phone."

"I can't! There's people." Martha whispered the last part.

"Please, Martha? Please, please, please, please."

"Alright, alright!" Martha sighed and the reluctance showed in her voice as she began singing _I'll Be Seeing You by Billie Holiday_ , but she eased into it after a bit and her voice wasn't bad at all. Not as good as Bunny's, but that might have been because she was obviously nervous and shy.

"That's beautiful, Martha." Ipo said to save her the trouble of finishing the entire song.

"Everyone's staring at me now."

Ipo laughed, "Take a bow, then. Do you want to? Sing on Thursdays with me and Bunny, I mean."

"Bunny? Who's Bunny?"

"Bunny of Bunny's Fashion. It's a clothing store downtown, I'm there now. Uh, why don't you come down now and meet her before you make your decision."

"You're very good, you know that?" Martha huffed.

"Good?"

"At convincing people to do things. I'll be there soon."

Ipo hung up the phone, grinning at Bunny, "So, what songs do you know?"

That question brought on an on-slot of answers that Ipo never interrupted because she needed to fill up the time before Martha got there and awkward silences weren't something that she enjoyed. It was about thirty minutes before a car rolled up outside and it was one of the longest thirty minutes of her life. She even listened to every word that poured out of Bunny's mouth because she didn't have anything else to do but regret pulling the woman into this.

Martha walked into the shop with Eugene following her in. Ipo pointed back at the door, "Leave, Eugene."

"What?" He laughed, "Why?"

"Because Martha's already shy, we don't need anyone else here watching."

"I am not shy." Martha defended herself, but seemed to think on it a little more, "... Alright, maybe I am."

"Hi, I'm Bunny." The shop owner awkwardly injected herself into the conversation.

Ipo walked up to Eugene and began pushing him, "Out."

Eugene grabbed her wrists, "I have to give Martha a ride home. I don't think anyone wants to leave her alone with you."

"Does ' _anyone_ ' go by the name of ' _mother_ '?" Ipo asked.

"Oh, shut up. I don't want to leave her alone with you, either. Who knows what you'll do to her."

"What, you think I'm going to turn her into another me or something?"

"... Yeah." Martha and Bunny giggled at that, seeing as they were listening very intently to their conversation.

Ipo threw them a glare before turning back to Eugene, "Then, go sit out in the car. You can spy like a fucking creeper through the window if it'll make you feel better."

Eugene paused a moment, narrowing his eyes, "... You're shy, too."

Ipo scoffed, pulling her wrists out of his grip, "Shy? You know what I've done in front of you?"

Eugene grinned and walked past her further into the shop, "Yeah, but never like this. Not as a girl."

"What?" Bunny immediately asked.

"Ipo pretended to be a man to fight in the war." Martha said shortly before they focused back on Eugene and Ipo.

"You are full of shit." Ipo crossed her arms as Eugene sat on a wooden bench against the wall, looking at her with challenge. Ipo blinked at him, "... You know I can make you leave, right?"

"You've never tested that theory."

Ipo groaned, "I don't have time for this."

"It's really okay." Martha said almost meekly, "It's just Eugene."

"Yeah, I don't have a problem." Bunny added.

"Looks like you're out voted." Eugene said with raised eyebrows.

Ipo wasn't too shy to do anything in front of Eugene. She could get butt naked while on her period and shove tons and tons of food in her mouth and give no shits about Eugene. It might've been because this was something that she used to do before they even knew each other and she didn't... Want him to see her differently or anything. But, she was out voted. Ipo tried not to scowl as she said, "Fine. But you don't say a word." Eugene made a locking motion on his mouth. Ipo sighed heavily before turning to the girls, her smile a little tight, "Sorry, it's just I'm feeling a little pressured."

"You're doing great!" Bunny said, wanting to give some support.

"Why are you feeling pressured, exactly?" Martha asked.

"We're starting a trio!" Bunny started jumping again, "Isn't it exciting?"

"A what?" Martha asked.

"See, I went to every club in this town and the only one that would even consider me wanted an act like The Andrews Sisters, so I really need a job and please help." Begging in front of Eugene was definitely something she'd done before.

"Does it pay?" Eugene asked.

"Shut it, I said."

"Does it, though?" Martha asked.

"Yeah, it'd be nice to have more income coming in." Bunny said.

Ipo shifted, "Well..."

"You didn't ask?" Eugene rang again.

"I was a little angry at the time. Like I am now because of a certain haole."

"I'm the haole." Eugene clarified to the girls.

"Anyway, we have to get ourselves together and audition quickly so that when we get hired, we could practice with the band and be ready by this Thursday and I'm very certain that he's had other people in already, so, Martha, what do you say?"

"' _When we get hired_ '?" Bunny laughed, "You're confident."

"Yes. I am." Ipo said, "And if we don't get paid, we will demand it because he'll want us that fucking badly."

They stared at her before Bunny said, "... You're really intimidating."

"Yes, I know. Martha?" Ipo rose her eyebrows at the blonde.

"Maybe I should ask Edward first."

"Is he your father?" Ipo asked.

The seriousness in her tone must have freaked Martha out because she answered in a question, "No...?"

"Then, you do what you want."

"That's not exactly how marriages work."

"You're right. I meant to say that if he loves you, he'd let you do what you want. Do you want to do this?"

"Please?" Bunny asked behind her.

Martha rolled her eyes, "Fine!" Bunny squealed and hugged Martha from behind. Martha shrugged her off before asking, "Now what?"

Ipo stopped thanking Pele for blessing her and said, "Now, since we're in a hurry and can't learn new songs, I need you to tell me what songs you know like the back of your hand."

"Oh, okay, um," Martha began naming songs and at about the sixth song in she said, "Pistol Packin' Mama-"

"Yes!" Ipo suddenly shouted, "Okay, good. Bunny and I know that one, too."

From then, they figured out that Ipo was to sing the Bing Crosby part and for Bunny to have the Andrews Sisters' solo because Martha was nervous. Ipo made them sing the part that they were supposed to harmonize and adjusted their tones accordingly. They had to be separated at one point because Bunny kept trying to sing at the wrong pitch and when Ipo thought they were ready, she put them back together. Eugene did sit quietly all through it, which she was thankful for because getting Martha and Bunny to harmonize was stressful enough. It took about two hours for them to sound alright.

"Do we really have to have a certain way that we stand?" Martha asked, "That's ridiculous."

"Trust me. We do." Ipo said, "It's almost time for the club to open and, unless you guys want to perform in front of lots and lots of people already, we should probably go."

"Now?" Martha asked, nervousness in her voice.

"Yeah."

"I'll drive." Eugene opened his mouth, making the three girls jump.

"It's just down the street. We can walk."

"I'm so excited!" Bunny with the jumping and clapping again.

"Great! Just try to keep it out of your voice." Ipo tried not to roll her eyes.

They all went down there, Martha needed a moment before going in and Ipo told Eugene to please, please stay outside and let her handle things without feeling like he's shadow-handling things. He agreed. Ipo found that the puppy eyed look worked better on Eugene than the 'I'm-going-to-fucking-kill-you' approach. Then, they walked in.

"We don't open for an- Oh, you again."

"We're here for the audition." Ipo said, giving a smile.

The man stared at the three of them before laughing, "Alright, fine. Stage is up there. Dazzle me." He was so sarcastic.

They went up there and did, however. Well, not 'dazzle'. More like 'impress' and 'surprise'. To Ipo, they could've done better, but she always felt that way about everything. Martha only kind of let her nerves show but, overall, they did a very good job.

"I guess ya'll can start Thursday. Give a little color to this place. Here's Matthew's number- he's the guitarist for the band. And the leader, I suppose. Get some songs together and be here at five."

"Do we get paid?" Bunny asked a little loudly.

He (who's name was Chris) laughed, "Yeah, you get paid. Twenty dollars a week."

"Each?" Ipo asked.

Chris rolled his eyes, "Yeah, yeah. Each."

That was good.

They left, Bunny skipping out and running into Eugene, but she turned that into a hug, which surprised him, "I guess it went well, then?"

"We're working girls!" Martha said.

"You're the only one of us who's never worked." Ipo told her.

"And I'm excited about it." She defended herself.

"So, Ipo, since you seem to know what you're doing, what do we do now?" Bunny asked.

"Now I call Matthew, set everything up, and then I call you."

"Who's Matthew?" Eugene asked.

"Band leader guy." Bunny said.

She did that as soon as they got back to Eugene's house. Matthew sounded nice. They were going to meet on Monday. On Sunday, they went to church. Which Eugene talked her into going to, even after whisper-shouting at each other for thirty minutes about how she absolutely fucking hated the bible and that all those old church ladies were going to be looking at her like she was the Anti-Christ, but Eugene said that Mrs. Sledge didn't want to leave her alone in the house with the valuables and that Eugene wanted her there just in case he felt the urge to say something un-christianly-like. However, it was all a trap. After the torture of the pastor purposely spouting out things against tattoos and while Eugene, his mother, Edward, and Martha were all talking to various members of the church, Dr. Sledge put a hand on upper back and asked her to take a walk with him.

As they got farther away from the church and after Ipo looked back at Eugene a couple of times, Dr. Sledge said, "I'm sure you know by now that we're going somewhere."

"Yeah, I could tell by the way your family keeps getting smaller and smaller."

Dr. Sledge laughed, but then got serious, "We're going to the gynecologist." Ipo's face fell as he continued, "Eugene, he... He told me what happened and wanted to make sure you're alright. I don't specialize in that area, so we're going to see Mary Frank's doctor."

Ipo felt disgusted and ashamed after a long time of trying not to feel that way any more, "... I'm going to kill Eugene."

"It was very hard for him to tell me." Dr. Sledge said, "Which means that he didn't tell me the whole story... He wasn't the one who did it, was he?"

Ipo didn't want to lie to him. He was such a nice man, "... Yes, he was."

Dr. Sledge was quiet for a moment before saying, "... I suppose he didn't want to get married."

Ipo was confused for a moment before it clicked in his head, "Oh! No, he wasn't- he didn't- we- no. That's not what I thought you meant."

"Oh. What did you think I meant?"

Ipo shook her head and stopped walking, "Nothing. I'm really... I'm very thankful for this, but I'm fine."

He smiled at her, "You look very healthy and I believe you. It's more to ease Eugene's mind. I can tell that he's been stressed about it for a while."

It was bad of Ipo to say that she thought Eugene was over it, but she did. But, like everything else, it was ingrained into his mind. She rolled her eyes, which she probably shouldn't have done in front the doctor, and they continued on a little ways before they arrived there. It was nerve-racking, laying on a table while a man probed his fingers around inside her. His name was Dr. Jenkins and he kept telling her to relax, but it wasn't something to relax about. Ipo didn't want anyone inside her. She realized as he pressed around in there that that might have been one of the reasons why she never let...

That wasn't the best time to think about that subject.

When it was over, he said that there was some tissue sticking to the inside of the uterus that would have to be removed and he thought that that was the prime time to painfully scrape it out with a cold metal tool and Ipo was certain that she tore chunks out of the thin cushion underneath her. Dr. Jenkins said that it needed to be taken out because it could turn into a tumor. She was glad that he stopped when he did because her vision was tunneling and ears were ringing. Sadly, she immediately started bleeding and he said that that might continue for a couple of days. She was tired of the bleeding and she was tired of it coming out of her vagina.

But, she got a clean bill of health.

While she was out practicing with her new found band, Eugene told his parents that Ipo was staying for an undetermined amount of time. He told Ipo later that Mrs. Sledge asked if she had a family to go back to. That made Ipo pick up a pencil and paper and write to Inoke to tell him the same thing, all the while begging for him not to be angry and reassuring that she'd be back soon. Another thing for him to hate her about. She didn't know how to make him understand. Her brother was the type to try, but he always lost his patience real fast when it came to something he didn't understand. The guilt was never ending for her and even if she went home immediately, she'd still feel guilty over something.

On Thursday, they had their first day at the club. They sang songs that the band knew and Matthew wasn't totally against Ipo's wanting to do original songs. Martha was a mess and Bunny was overly excited, but it seemed that they were expecting more people to actually listen to them instead of drink heavily at the bar and yell impolite things. They got paid, though, and that's what mattered. Also, it was fun, even if she felt like everything wasn't as perfect as she wanted it to be and the pressure was almost way too fucking much. When she got back, everyone was already in bed except Eugene. He sat in the sitting room right off of the entry hall and as soon as she entered he stood and hugged her. She awkwardly patted his back, "You okay?"

"Dad took me hunting today." His voice was muffled in her shoulder. Ipo rubbed his back as he said, "Didn't go well."

"... Want some ice cream?"

Eugene chuckled, "Yeah."

They stayed up half the night eating that ice cream and trying to laugh quietly so that his parents wouldn't hear them. Ipo was trying to cheer him up by telling him about this one guy who kept making a fool of himself. Eugene talked about watching birds instead of hurting them. Ipo thought that was a nice, relaxing alternative. Something that he needed.

A couple weeks later was Sid and Mary's wedding. It was very lovely. Eugene tried to make a speech. He had one all planned out, written down on little sheets of paper. But, as soon as he stood up, his face paled. Ipo wasn't in the wedding party, but Eugene asked if Ipo could sit by him at the table at the head of the room where everyone could stare at them unabashedly. Mary didn't have that much of a problem with it, so Sid agreed absolutely. So, as Eugene stood there awkwardly and before Sid could make fun of him, Ipo stood and grabbed the papers from his hands and began reading them out loud in a terrible southern accent. It garnered laughs, even from Eugene. He ripped it out of her hands half-way through and told her to sit down and finished himself.

A few weeks after that, Ipo got a letter from Inoke in the mail. Mrs. Sledge grumbled, "She's getting mail here now?" She absolutely hated that Ipo was still there. It had been a little more than a month and this girl had become a part of their every day lives. She couldn't complain, though, because Ipo was giving them some of the money she was making to them for letting her outstay her welcome. She overheard Mrs. Sledge say to Dr. Sledge one night that Ipo was the one pausing Eugene's life. Ipo was certain that Mrs. Sledge was much like Inoke in the impatient way.

The letter from Inoke had one word written on it and that was, " _'Āwīwī_."

 _Hurry_.

About three weeks later, Ipo was sitting high up on a branch in the tree in the front yard wearing short shorts with a crop top for the climbing. Eugene was sitting against it in the grass. It had been pleasant silence for almost a complete hour. They had been doing that a lot. It was nice. Until Mrs. Sledge came out.

She laughed at her son, "Honestly, Eugene, you look like a gangster with those glasses on." She handed him the tea and began speaking again when Eugene ignored her, "Your brother's comin' for supper this evening. Evidently, he's been named some kind of supervisor at the bank."

Eugene didn't want to talk, but to continue ignoring her would be rude, "Better get our money out of that bank."

Mrs. Sledge didn't really laugh, "... I'm sure Edward could arrange a starting position for you. At the bank."

Eugene shook his head a bit, "Never gonna work in a bank, Mother." His voice was had an edge in it.

Mrs. Sledge got to the point, "Well, you need to make a plan for the future."

"My plan is to do nothing for a while."

"How long is a while, Eugene? And when is that girl going home?" She must've not known that Ipo was in the tree, "Her being here is selfish. She needs to go back to her family and let you find your own."

Dr. Sledge trekked across the lawn, "Leave him alone, Mary Frank."

Mrs. Sledge was exasperated as she walked up to her husband, "The boy is idle, Edward."

"He's not a boy." The doctor defended his son.

Mrs. Sledge gave Eugene a side-eye, "Well, he's acting like one."

"Mary Frank, you have no idea what men like him have been through. Now, go on. Let him be."

Mrs. Sledge sighed before going back inside with Dr. Sledge escorting her. Ipo waited a few moments before dropping down out of the tree, sitting next to Eugene. He immediately said, "Don't listen to her."

But, Ipo did listen to her. She listened hard. It _was_ extremely selfish for Ipo to be there, "... I think I need to leave, Eugene."

"You don't need to do anything." Eugene's voice got lower when he didn't agree with something.

Ipo brought her knees to her chest, "I never told you this, but... I got on that train partly because I couldn't go back to another island. Couldn't bare to look at the Pacific without feeling sick to my stomach. I still don't know if I can. I stayed here for you, yeah, but also for me. I am selfish and I am a memory from your past that you need to just... Let go."

Eugene looked at her, "Are you a fucking idiot?"

Ipo laughed, "Maybe. But... I just want you to be happy and do good things in your life."

"You don't think that you make me happy or that you're a good thing in my life?"

"I'm saying that you need a fresh start."

Eugene sighed, "I just... I don't know if I'm ready for you to leave."

She didn't think she was, either, but she wasn't going to tell him that, "... I'll leave on Monday."

Eugene didn't reply. In fact, he didn't say anything for the rest of the day. He went off by himself for a little while, leaving her to hang out on her own. She liked to go out by the bridge a little ways from the house and sit down by the stream for no reason other than to watch the water run across the rocks. That was her relaxation. Pretty soon, it was dark and dinner time. Ipo basically ran all the way back to the house and barely made it in time to wash her hands. Edward and Martha were already there. Eugene was, too. He sat across from her, quiet as always. Ipo fake prayed like she always did. She was pretty sure that they were all wise to it, but she was very obviously not ever going to like Christianity or participate in its practices.

After a bit of chatter, Martha turned to her, "We should do that one song of yours next week; _Darker Than Dawn_. It's subject is heavy, but I think the band's ready."

Ipo swallowed, "Actually, next week, I-"

"You wanna get married?"

Silverware clanged and silence rang as everyone stared at Eugene, who was staring at Ipo. Her mouth was parted in shock. He looked determined, his face stubborn. Then, everyone was staring at her. Ipo knew why he was asking. He didn't want her to leave. He thought that they were better off with each other than apart. She had graduated from being his crutch to his actual leg. She'd be lying if she said that she could go without him.

"... Alright."

Martha let out a quiet gasp, which was the only audio in the entire room. Eugene reached into his pocket and pulled out a small golden ring and held it out to her. As she was reaching for it, Mrs. Sledge said sharply, "Eugene Sledge, is that your grandmother's ring?" Ipo looked at her, retreating her hand because she didn't think that she was allowed to have it.

However, Eugene grabbed her hand and shoved the ring onto her finger, "Edward didn't use it, so I thought I would." He then began to eat silently again. Everyone was still quiet. It wasn't something that they ever thought that Ipo and Eugene would do. She didn't think it, either.

Mrs. Sledge looked at her husband, sounding like she was tattling, "Edward!"

Dr. Sledge put his hands up, "They're adults, Mary Frank. If they want to get married, let them get married."

"Hey, I'm for it." Edward said, "They're attached at the hip, anyway."

"Yeah, it's great!" Martha smiled, "Congratulations."

"But," Mrs. Sledge said, "They don't love each other. I mean, this is forever."

"I love Ipo." Eugene said without looking up from his food, "I don't think I'm going to ever love someone as much as I love Ipo."

"Gross." Ipo said, "You're going to make me vomit." Eugene looked up at her and they both chuckled.

"Ipo," Mrs. Sledge addressed her since no one else was listening, "You've got to understand-"

"That I am selfish and am holding him back. Yeah, I heard." Ipo wanted to marry Eugene. She didn't know that that could have ever been something that she wanted, but it was there. Building in her gut.

Dr. Sledge picked up his glass of wine, "To Ipo and Eugene finally realizing that they're meant for each other."

That made Eugene and Ipo look at each other. Neither of them thought that before. Never crossed their minds. It was unspoken that her and Snafu were meant for each other and that Eugene was going to find a rich white woman who belonged to a country club. They belonged together, yes, but not in that way. As Ipo and Eugene's glasses clinked, the words, "We need to get ʻAuliʻi." Slipped out of Ipo's mouth in a mutter.

"Monday." Eugene said.

"Monday." Ipo repeated before they drank their drinks.

"Who?" Martha asked.

"My little sister. My brother's been taking care of her, but he has a life he needs to start."

Mrs. Sledge wanted to say something, but she kept her mouth shut.

Later that night, as they laid in Eugene's bed, Ipo asked, "Are you sure you want to marry me?"

"Shouldn't I be asking you that question?"

Ipo rolled onto her side towards him, "Say you meet the girl of your dreams, right? But, there's a problem and it's called a wife. That's me, by the way."

Eugene rolled over towards her, "In my dreams, the girl is my best friend."

"But, not this best friend."

Eugene grabbed her hands, "And how do you think I feel? I know I'm not the one you want to marry. You think that I don't feel like I'm robbing you?"

Ipo squeezed his hands, tensing her jaw for a second before saying, "... Snafu could walk in right now and offer me everything that I've ever wanted and I'd still rather be here with you."

Eugene pursed his lips before connecting them with Ipo's quickly, "... We're pathetic, aren't we?"

"We're pathetic together and that's what matters."

"You nervous about Hawaiʻi?"

"More nervous that Inoke's going beat me to death." Ipo smiled sarcastically, "You'll love him."

Eugene furrowed his eyebrows, "I've never really imagined what your brother would be like... I'm terrified."

"Good." Ipo grinned. Later that night, as Eugene was slightly snoring, Ipo took a good look at the ring on her finger. It was small and had little flowers engraved into the band and a small circular diamond on top. It was beautiful. Tears slowly started to roll down her cheeks. She was mourning Snafu. Merriell. Ipo might have lied. If he walked in right then... She didn't really know what she would have done. She would have loved to be his wife. To spend the rest of her life feeling like she was floating. Ipo had tried so hard to get him to love her. So, so hard. But, it wasn't her fault.

Snafu had his chance.

Ipo had told the band and her two new friends that they were going to have to make it on their own. It'd take about two weeks to get to Hawaiʻi. They were planning to spend two weeks there and then it'd take two weeks to come back. Chris was very irritated about it and told her that he wasn't paying her for time away and if the other ones screwed up while she was away, they were all fired. Ipo thought that they'd do fine. Mrs. Sledge was fussing and seemed to be going insane over this awful decision. Every question she asked was meant to derail their plan, but Eugene just blew her off. Until, on Sunday evening, Mrs. Sledge used a last attempt by asking, "Do you even know where she's been? Who she's been with?"

Eugene set the dish he was carrying harshly into the sink, "Jesus, mother."

"I'm just saying, Eugene, the way she walks around and the clothes she wears-"

"This is getting pathetic." Eugene told her, "I know Ipo. I know who's she's been with and where she's been. Maybe if you looked past her skin color or the fact that she doesn't have a trust fund and actually got to know her, you'd understand why nothing you say is going to change my mind."

"I don't want you to ruin your life!"

"It'd be ruined if she left!"

"You're too dependent on her."

"Good thing I'm marrying her, then."

Ipo had listened to that all from her hiding spot in the dining room.

Then, they left for Hawaiʻi. Their friends were all at the train station to say goodbye to them. When they were by themselves on the train, it felt like they were going back to war. They knew they weren't, but Eugene finally understood why Ipo never wanted to go back. Ipo had one pure thing ripped out of her and something nasty shoved back in its place. It was a thing that made her want to curl up and die; having something she loved tainted like that. Mrs. Sledge had asked if Ipo sent a letter to her family to let them know that they were coming, but they'd get there before the letter did.

When they stopped in New Orleans, Eugene asked, "You sure you don't want to get off here?"

Ipo refused to even look out of the window, staring at Eugene, "If I ever see Snafu again, I'd kill him. I would look right past him if he hadn't saved my life. Your life."

"You're saying that you'd throttle him out of respect?"

"Yes, sir. Then, I'd go on with you." Ipo desperately needed to change the subject, "Where do you want the wedding to be?"

Eugene laughed as the train rolled away from the station, "In the front yard. Under the tree."

"When?"

"As soon as possible."

"Big or little?"

"The tiniest."

"Long or short?"

"I think you know the answer to that."

Ipo nodded. She liked this game, "Christian or Hawaiian?"

Eugene furrowed his eyebrows, "I didn't know there was a difference."

Ipo scoffed, "So, Hawaiians didn't have weddings until after the invasion of the Western World. Got it."

Eugene rolled his eyes at her sarcasm, "Tell me what happens in Hawaiian weddings."

"Well," Ipo propped her legs up on the seat next to Eugene, "I wear white and a haku- which is a lei for your head- and you also wear white with a colored sash. A pū is blown and I walk down the isle _without_ being escorted by anyone. Our friends and family surround us while we exchange lei's, instead of rings. Then, we wrap a lava rock in a ti leaf and leave it in the place where we were married. Which would be under the tree."

"I don't look good in white." Eugene said, "But the rest of it sounds very... lovey-dovey."

"It's all about ke Aloha." Ipo said, "The love. It's what Hawaiians function on. It's our way of life. It's the law. That's why..." Ipo looked at her feet, "That's why I thought I was evil. I wasn't functioning on Aloha."

"I think you're functioning on too much Aloha." Eugene said, "That's your problem. Too much Aloha and you can't figure out what to do about it."

Ipo laughed, "I wish that were true."

Eugene was quiet for a moment before saying, "... We should do both. Christian and Hawaiian."

"How would that go?"

"Well, we definitely get rid of the circle of love thing because that's just," He paused to laugh a little, "But, we can do the lei thing. You can wear whatever the fuck you want, I don't care, but I'm wearing a suit and tie. I don't know what a 'pū' is, but that could happen. I like the tea leaf thing. We can get a lava rock in Hawaiʻi. But, we have to have the pastor or Mother will throw a fit. Also, maybe," He shrugged again, "... Your father can walk you down the isle."

Ipo hadn't thought about her dad in a while. Inoke only spoke about him that once. Ipo shook her head, "He's been in an insane asylum for five years, Eugene. He's not doing shit."

Eugene patted her ankle, "I'm sure he's much better since you last saw him."

Ipo gave a weak half-smile, "No. He's not."

In Nevada, Eugene asked, "What if ʻAuliʻi doesn't want to come with us?"

Ipo shook her head, eating the soup in front of her, "No one wants to leave Kauaʻi. But, from what I can tell in her letters, she likes to do what's right... And she likes me. Or, letter me. Inoke's been raising her and she probably won't want to leave him." Ipo groaned and placed her head in her hands, "I don't know."

"If she doesn't and Inoke wants her to come with us... Are you going to make her?"

"I have to. A seven year old can't take care of herself."

Eugene sipped his coffee, "... She'd be like our child."

"Problem?"

"No problem." Eugene sat his cup back down, "Just... Have to get used to it."

"Both of us do. If she's like me, she'll be like a, uh, a hurricane. She's in second grade. You know what I did in second grade? I knocked all the teeth out of some bitch's face and yanked a chunk of hair out of her head."

Eugene choked on his bread, "Jesus, what'd she do?"

Ipo shrugged, "She tripped me during hula practice."

"But, she's being home schooled, right?"

"Yeah. Last I heard. But, she has to go to school when we get her. Unless you want to devote years of your life teaching her."

Eugene sighed, "I'm just worried about the other kids picking on her."

Ipo smiled, "God help the kid that does."

"What was Inoke like at that age?"

"He was quiet. I think he only hit someone once and that was because the guy was picking on some girl."

Eugene shook his head, "That's that 'Ipo' gene. Taking care of bullies."

Ipo laughed, "'Ipo' gene?"

"I can't pronounce your last name." Eugene chuckled.

"Ka-he-i-ke-koni-koni." Ipo said slowly, "How is the pastor going to do the fuckin' vows or whatever? "Do you, Eugene, take Ipo Ka-blah-ko-blah to be your lawfully wedded... blah.""

Eugene laughed.

When they got it California, it was a question of whether or not to get a hotel and sleep on something that wasn't moving for a night. Ipo thought she owed it to Eugene. He said all that stuff about how he wanted her there, but Ipo felt that she's caused a lot of his problems. The only thing interesting that happened was that in the middle of the night, she whispered, "I'm scared." But, Eugene didn't hear her. He was sleeping.

She just didn't want her family to hate her.

In the morning, they got on the ferry. She felt like she should've been surprised by the amount of Kepanī on it, but they were just going home. Just like her. It was obviously making Eugene uncomfortable, but he was about to be in for a huge awakening. About 80% of Hawaiʻi was Japanese. He was going to have to get used to it. For two weeks, anyway. She was extremely worried that there was going to be a huge security check and the only identification she had stated that she was man. They spent six days on that ferry and each day Ipo fidgeted, her heart beating steadily harder.

"Your brother's going to hate me." Eugene said on the final day.

"Yeah." Ipo said without hesitation.

"Thanks. Thanks for that."

"I'm just letting you know what to expect."

"Is he going to kill me?"

"You? No. Me? Maybe." The nervousness made her sarcastic statement sound less sarcastic.

They arrived on the Big Island the next day around noon. Ipo was clutching onto Eugene's arm as they walked off of the ferry and onto the island. The only islands Eugene had ever been on wasn't as populated as this. There were stores and cars. Japanese and Hawaiians walking around and they weren't killing each other. Ipo expected more people. Those two years that she stayed there before going off to boot camp were kind of a blur. She spent most of it inside her room, so she never noticed the dwindled numbers. They had to get on three other boats. One to Maui, one to Oʻahu, and then the final to Kauaʻi. Three more days of traveling and they were going to sleep overnight on Maui and Oʻahu. Eugene didn't have much time to look at the Big Island because Ipo immediately forced them onto another ferry.

The smell of the Pacific was giving Ipo a headache. She was in Hawaiʻi and she still had this half expectation that she was going to feel like it was still home. Like this great feeling of belongingness would overcome her and she'd tell Eugene that she'd have to stay in Hawaiʻi because she loved it. However, she felt like she didn't belong. Like Hawaiʻi was trying to push her out. She felt that way about Mobile, too.

She was supposed to die.

"There's a lot of Japs." Eugene muttered to her in a hotel on Maui.

"So, you understand why I got so pissed off every time one of you guys said something fucking racist."

"It was the war, Ipo." Eugene wrapped his arms around her tightly, trapping her arms against her sides.

She didn't reply to that.

Ipo was a mess on Oʻahu. Other people couldn't tell, but Eugene could. It was where her mother died. Where her friends died. Her innocence died. Ipo didn't look around. Didn't stop. They just went directly to the hotel. In the hotel, Ipo just shoved her head under the pillow and laid there. Eugene didn't speak to her for a couple of hours, but he was getting worried that she was slowly suffocating herself, "Hawaiʻi is beautiful."

Ipo moved the pillow just off of her mouth, "...You didn't see body parts on the beach?" Her voice was flat.

Eugene leaned forward in the chair he was sitting in, "Did you... See body parts?"

Ipo sighed heavily and threw the pillow off of her face, staring up at the ceiling, "For a second. I blinked and they were gone."

"... Are you okay?"

"I just want to leave."

"We have twelve more days. I'm sure once we get to Kauaʻi, you'll feel better."

"... Yeah." She didn't believe so.

The next morning they got on the ferry to Kauaʻi. They stood on the deck, Eugene trying to make her feel better by poking her in her ticklish spots on her sides. She was poking him back, and as the ferry pulled away, they heard someone ask, "Ipo?"

They both looked back at the beach that they were leaving and standing on that beach was Analu. The smile fell off of Ipo's face. He didn't have one on his, either. He had a surf board under his arm so he could catch the morning tide, just like he always did. She hadn't thought about him in a long ass time. She'd forgotten he even lived on Oʻahu. For Eugene, Analu was nothing like the picture. He was much bigger. A lot more intimidating. His hair was in a low ponytail and the tattoos on his muscular chest, biceps, and legs told Eugene that he could break every bone in his body.

"That's Analu?" Eugene muttered as the still figure got farther and farther away.

"Yep."

He looked down at her and took in her small stature, "... You had sex with him and lived to tell about it?" Ipo laughed loudly out of surprise before punching his shoulder. Seeing Analu didn't stir much in her other than extreme irritation, so she was happy with Eugene's humor.

Ipo convinced the captain to stop at Keʻe Beach while they were going around the island and they stepped foot onto the sand with their bags as the ferry began to leave.

"Now where the fuck do we go?" Eugene asked.

"Just, give me a minute." Ipo looked down the beach one way and then the other.

He rose his eyebrows, "Are you lost?"

Ipo rolled her eyes, "No, dumbass." She was having the strangest nostalgia that almost took over her mind. She spied something down the beach a little ways and dropped her (borrowed) suitcase down onto the sand, jogging over to it.

"What are you doing?" Eugene called to her.

Ipo bent down and picked up one of the pebbles from the black and white pile and held it up, yelling back, "Remember these?"

Eugene smiled, "Still have mine."

Ipo was grinning. These were the very stones that her brother slipped on. Well, maybe. She was about to actually see them. Oh, fuck. Now wasn't the time to feel panic. Ipo went back over to him and picked up her bag, "Okay, so, we can go up the trail and be at my house in about an hour and run into every person in Wainiha or we can climb the cliff and be in my front yard in three minutes."

"What about our bags?"

"Inoke made a pulley. Come on, I'll show you." Ipo led Eugene further inland towards a small crevice with sharp rocks protruding from the walls and a rope hanging from a tree branch at the top. That was the pulley, "Easier for when we went shopping on another island." Ipo tied the suitcases to the end of the rope and hoisted them up, "Try not to cut your hands on the rocks."

"You go first."

"I'm not having you look up my skirt."

Eugene sighed with irritation started climbing, grunting out, "Thank God you made us do this in training."

"Obviously, I didn't do a good enough job." Ipo climbed up behind him, "You sound out of breath already."

"Fuck off." Eugene tried to chuckle.

It took them a couple of minutes to get over the edge. They were met by thick woods that resembled a jungle. Eugene got the bags, "You live in a forest?"

"You'll see." Ipo took her suitcase and lead him through the very small cut out path. That was the three minute walk. Eugene kept expecting snakes to fall down on his head, but Ipo said that there were no snakes. It all very suddenly ended and they were staring at a clearing that housed a small shack with a few acres of sugarcane and Eugene could hear the chickens and pigs. This was Ipo's home. Where she grew up. She didn't exaggerate about how small it was.

"You okay?" Eugene muttered.

"I don't hear any yelling." Ipo whispered, "They might not be home."

"Is that... Would that be a good thing?"

"Either way, they'll be surprised." Ipo took another deep breath before forcing her feet up to the screen door that had the word " _Heahea_ " painted above it and pulled it open, stepping onto the creaking wooden floor. The entire house was made of the wood from the trees that were cut down to make room for this place. There was one main room with a small table with four pillows around it and what looked like an alter with pictures of the family surrounding a small wooden statue of Pele. On the far side was a very small kitchen with a table and four chairs. There was a back door in the kitchen and two more doors in between the kitchen and sitting area.

"Holy fuck." Ipo breathed out. She sat down her suitcase and walked in further. Ever since her mother died it felt strange in there, so it felt just right at that moment. Ipo opened the first door and peaked her head in to see if anyone was in there. It used to be her and Inoke's room, but now it looked to be ʻAuliʻi's. There were a few toys spewed around, but the bed was made. Ipo shut that door and before she opened the other one, she heard a child's voice whining from out back. She stilled before walking quickly to the back door, staring out of the screen.

She was so tall. Last time Ipo saw ʻAuliʻi, she was around knee height. Now, the little girl had to be up past Ipo's navel. She was beautiful. Her hair was long and it blew in the wind as she fed the couple of chickens and three pigs. Their ox was gone.

"ʻAʻole," Ipo looked over to where the man's voice was coming from, "Hānai nui loa iā lākou." Inoke was just inside the sugarcane, checking the soil. He was taller, too. He wasn't a teenager any more and he looked it. He was a bit leaner than Analu, but he still looked like he would win fights.

"ʻĒ, ʻē, ʻē." ʻAuliʻi replied while rolling her eyes.

Ipo opened the door quickly, the loud screeching of the hinges making her siblings look over to whoever had just walked into their house. It wasn't an uncommon thing to have people waltzing in and out of the home. The three of them stared at each other for a moment before ʻAuliʻi looked over at Inoke, "Tita?"

He just gave a nod.

ʻAuliʻi dropped the bag of feed and ran over to Ipo, almost knocking her back as the girl's long arms encircled Ipo's middle, "Ua hoʻi mai iā ʻoe!"

Ipo felt in shock as she slowly wrapped her arms around the kid. It was too surreal. She thought she was going to vomit but, instead, she fell down onto her knees and hugged ʻAuliʻi tighter, burying her face into the side of her head, whispering while trying not cry, "Ua haʻo loa au iā ʻoe." Ipo pulled away from ʻAuliʻi and grabbed her face, taking in how she wasn't as chubby as she used to be and laughed a little, "Nani loa ʻoe!"

ʻAuliʻi grinned with her big lips, "Mahalo."

Ipo then noticed that Inoke had walked over. She stood up and went inside when he motioned her to. ʻAuliʻi was clutching onto Ipo's hand as Inoke stared at Ipo with a clenched jaw and hard eyes. However, that's how he always looked, so it wasn't easy to discern what he was feeling. Inoke finally opened his arms and hugged her. Ipo hugged him back, tighter than he was hugging her. ʻAuliʻi then noticed Eugene standing just inside the front door. Her eyebrows furrowed when her eyes made contact with his orange hair. She's never seen a person with that color on top of their head. She tugged on Ipo's skirt, saying, "He kāne i ʻo."

Ipo let go of Inoke to introduce Eugene, but as soon as she let go of him, he punched her in the cheek. ʻAuliʻi screamed and jumped away as Ipo stumbled back, which meant he didn't hit her that hard. Eugene yelled, but stopped mid-step as Ipo tackled Inoke to the ground and started punching him back. Inoke hit her head, trying to knock her off of him. Eugene became a barrier between ʻAuliʻi and the fight somehow and he didn't think he should interrupt. It was like two Ipos and he didn't want to get into the middle of that. They were avoiding hitting each other's noses because that's what they always did. It ended when Ipo punched him in the sternum and stopped his breathing. "What the fuck?" Ipo yelled at him over his coughs as she stood, "Manaʻo ʻoe ʻo ʻAuliʻi, ʻōkole!"

"ʻAʻole hana ʻoe!" Inoke shouted back as he stood up. And Eugene thought Ipo's shouting was scary. They both had split lips, but Ipo had an additional cut on her cheek.

"You helped!" Ipo stepped towards him like she was going to hit him again. Inoke flinched. "ʻAʻole makemake ʻoe i hele iaʻu, ua ʻaʻole pono ʻoe kōkua!" Eugene didn't know what was being said, but he did know that ʻAuliʻi was scared by the way she clutched on to the back of his shirt. She didn't even know him, but she'd rather run to the safety of him before dealing with her siblings' wrath.

Inoke ran his hand through his shoulder length hair just like Ipo does, "ʻAʻole manaʻo au i hele ʻoe!"

"It's not like you could've stopped me, anyway." Ipo said more calmly.

Inoke flexed his angular jaw before looking off to the side, "I know."

Ipo sighed heavily, "Lōlō." She pulled Inoke into another hug and Eugene hoped that that one wasn't going to end up in a fight.

"Stupi'!" ʻAuliʻi suddenly shouted at them with a stomp of her foot.

Ipo laughed and Inoke smiled.

So, that was the Kaheikekonikoni family.

When Inoke finally cared that there was a strange man in his house, he still didn't act that friendly. Didn't shake Eugene's hand. Just looked at him and grunted before asking Ipo something in Hawaiian. It must have been if he could get them something to drink because he pulled out two glasses and filled them both with orange juice for ʻAuliʻi and Ipo before pointing at Eugene, "Pia?"

Eugene immediately looked at Ipo. She rolled her eyes, "Inoke, you know English. Speak it around Eugene so he doesn't think we're talking shit about him."

Inoke opened the fridge and took out a bottle of beer, "Pia. Beer. Same." The way he said it definitely made it sound like the same word. He held out the bottle to Eugene.

"Thanks. Or, mahalo." Eugene said as he took it.

Inoke ignored him, taking his own bottle of beer as ʻAuliʻi said, "Ya hai'." She'd been staring at it for a while. Eugene realized that he was being too harsh about Snafu's accent. Both ʻAuliʻi and Inoke's were much worse.

Eugene nodded, "Yeah."

"Why?"

Eugene slightly shook his head, "Why what?"

"Da colo'." ʻAuliʻi spoke as if he was stupid.

"Oh, uh, genetics, I guess."

"Genetics?" She asked slowly.

"Kālaiōewe." Ipo said.

"He aha kēnā?" Inoke suddenly asked, grabbing Ipo's hand that was lying on the table and examining the ring on her finger.

"Uh," Ipo pulled her hand away, pointing at Eugene, "I'm marrying him."

Inoke stared at Ipo, his mouth slightly parted, "... He white."

"I'm very happy you're not color blind." Ipo said sarcastically. ʻAuliʻi must've not known what the word 'marrying' meant.

Inoke ignored her, which was something he seemed to do to everyone, and slid his dark eyes over to Eugene just for a moment before he looked back at Ipo, "He live here?"

Ipo wasn't about to have this discussion in front of her little sister, "ʻAuliʻi, feed the animals. E ʻoluʻolu ʻoe." ʻAuliʻi looked at Inoke and he nodded for her to go. She ran around the table, giving Ipo a quick hug around the neck and a kiss on the cheek before going outside. Ipo sighed, leaning forward on her elbows, "We're going to live in Alabama. On the mainland." Inoke leaned back quickly, the chair creaking underneath him as he stared off to the side. He shook his head, but didn't say anything. Ipo continued, "I want you to live your life, so, if you want, we will take her with us."

"I never see her. You."

"Well, actually, Eugene's family is rich, so we could probably come down once a year." Ipo grinned. Eugene hid his laugh. Ipo was the one who paid for this whole trip.

"That why you marry?"

Ipo's jaw dropped, "Excuse me, motherfucker?"

Eugene cut in, "Ipo hates it."

Once again, Inoke ignored him, "You hate na haole."

Ipo laughed, "Not this haole."

"Why not stay? The mainland... Shit." Inoke never bothered with words that don't exist in the Hawaiian language. Unnecessary words, he called them.

Ipo felt that he had to know to be able to try to understand. She was quiet for a moment, tapping the table with her finger, "... I spent the last two years killing people on islands. I can't be on islands any more."

Inoke's thick eyebrows furrowed, "... You kill?"

"Is it really such a surprise?" Ipo tried to joke it off, but she was the only one slightly chuckling.

"It was a war." Eugene said, "That's what happens in war."

For the first time since he got there, Inoke actually spoke to Eugene, "You know?"

"I'm a Corporal. Ipo and I fought together."

"How you meet."

"ʻAe." Ipo answered, "We'll only take ʻAuliʻi if both you and her want us to."

"How long you stay here?"

"Two weeks."

"I think about it."

Ipo tapped the table again, "Are you going to ask ʻAuliʻi or am I?"

"Husband can." Inoke stood with his barely touched beer and poured it down the sink.

"You can't have some strange man that she doesn't know ask her if she wants to live with him. That's creepy."

Inoke furrowed his eyebrows again, "Creepy?"

Ipo racked her mind for a second before saying, "Kohu ʻole. Like he's a pedophile. You know pedophile?"

Inoke nodded, "I know." He paused before asking, "Not a pedophile he?"

Ipo laughed, "If he was, I'd fucking kill him."

"I'd want you to." Eugene muttered, drinking his beer.

Inoke grunted, "Two weeks, she not like him, she not go."

"Okay." Ipo said, "That's understandable. She already likes his hair." Inoke just nodded and they were all quiet for a moment before Ipo asked, "How's the kālā?"

Inoke shrugged, "Not good like old. But, ua use to have more than me make money."

Ipo furrowed her eyebrows, "You didn't find my stash?"

"He aha?"

Ipo hummed before standing and walking over to ʻAuliʻi's room with Inoke and Eugene following. She climbed up onto ʻAuliʻi's bed and reached up, sliding her hand into a wide crack in between the wall and the ceiling. She pulled out more and more money from the crack until she couldn't feel any more pieces of paper. Ipo hopped down and handed about two hundred dollars to Inoke, "Keep it."

Inoke looked at her with raised eyebrows, "The fuck?"

Ipo laughed, "It's from those asshole tourists who try to grab me."

"You stole instead break hand?" Inoke's genuine confusion said a lot to Eugene.

"Rich bitches don't notice. Because they're rich."

Eugene crossed his arms, "Wow, you really do hate rich people."

"Aw," Ipo patted his cheek, "Not you, Shark Bait." Inoke actually snorted. Like sister like brother.

"You not want this... For wedding?" Inoke asked.

"Nah." Ipo walked past them, "I'm going to make Eugene's mother pay for it for calling me a whore." She opened the back door and told ʻAuliʻi to come back inside.

"... You heard that?" Eugene asked.

"You not kick her ʻōkole?" Was Inoke's question.

ʻAuliʻi came in and hugged Ipo around the waist again. She ran her fingers through her little sister's hair as she answered, "I don't think I'd be welcome in the house if I beat her up."

Inoke looked down at ʻAuliʻi, "E male ana lāua."

ʻAuliʻi's eyes widened and Ipo muttered, "Way to break the news."

ʻAuliʻi looked up at Ipo in confusion, "Haole ʻo ia." Inoke covered his mouth to quiet his chuckling before going to the kitchen and messing around, taking out different things from cabinets.

"Okay." Ipo muttered, pushing ʻAuliʻi away and making her stand next to Inoke before clapping her hands, "I know. Eugene is white. He is the whitest boy I have ever seen. I know there's never been a white person in our family before, but you'll just have to get over it."

"Ever?" Eugene asked.

"Eva." ʻAuliʻi answered drinking the orange juice that she had left on the table.

"I'm honored." He said.

"Yeah," Ipo said, "Honored with racism for the rest of your life. Congratulations."

Eugene chuckled, "Thanks."

"Leo ʻē kāu." ʻAuliʻi told Eugene.

"That's because he's from the state called Alabama on the Mainland. They all sound like that over there."

"Wait, what'd she say?" Eugene asked.

"You sound strange is what she said." Inoke said as he put something onto a pan.

"You don't sound so normal, either." Eugene told the little girl.

"Normal?" ʻAuliʻi asked.

"Kūlike me ke ʻano mau." Ipo said as she walked over to see what Inoke was doing, "Oh, poi!" She grinned.

Eugene crossed his arms, "How much English do you know?" ʻAuliʻi just shrugged.

Ipo looked at Inoke, "You been teaching her English?"

"No." Inoke put the corm into the oven.

When he stood back up, Ipo smacked the back of his head, "Everyone speaks English, Inoke, you have to teach her."

"You change." Inoke told her, "You..." He had to stop to think of the words, "Were... Traditional. You want _me_ teach? You hear me? This? I... Don't... Sound like you. Never... bothered to learn. Shit language."

"Shit language!" ʻAuliʻi yelled with a grin on her face.

"Yes, it is a shitty language." Ipo said, "It's a shitty language that everyone speaks. You want to be a teacher to people who only speak English. They have to understand you to learn."

"You read my na leka?"

"Of course I read your letters. What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Inoke shrugged and looked out the back door. He always did that when he was feeling frustrated. Ipo rolled her eyes, "Just because I didn't come straight back home doesn't mean that I don't care. I'm trying to do what's best for everyone." She rubbed her forehead.

"What best for you?" Inoke asked her.

Ipo didn't answer with what she wanted to. Instead, she said, "To be with Eugene." The man in question smiled a little to himself.

Inoke looked at Eugene, "You love Ipo?"

Eugene didn't hesitate in his answer, "More than anything."

Inoke and Ipo looked at each other, speaking at the same time, "Pelapela."

"Nasty dey say." ʻAuliʻi told Eugene. Both Inoke and ʻAuliʻi's 'th's sounded like 'd's.

"Every time I say something nice to your sister, she says that." Eugene then looked at Ipo, still talking to ʻAuliʻi, "But, she doesn't notice that I never say that when she tells me that I'm the love of her life and that she'd do anything for me." He knew he wasn't the love of her life.

"I never said that!" Ipo's face was blushed.

"Did too."

"When?"

"When I asked you to marry me and you said yes."

Inoke shook his head, "No more. Please."

"Speaking of romance." Ipo changed the subject, looking down at ʻAuliʻi, "You better not have that boyfriend any more. I'm not afraid to beat up a kid."

"Shameful." Inoke muttered to her.

ʻAuliʻi rolled her eyes, "Kalei? No. Bad kid."

"Damn right he's a bad kid. You're never allowed to have a boyfriend. Ever."

ʻAuliʻi's jaw dropped, "ʻAʻole! E kiʻi au he ipo inā makemake au!"

"When you are kanakolu! Maybe." Ipo responded.

"He aha? Inoke!" ʻAuliʻi turned to her older brother.

"ʻAe me au ʻo Ipo." Inoke told her.

The girl turned to Eugene, "Eugene!" She pronounced his name like " _oo-jee_ ". It was adorable.

He held up his hands, "I don't even know what you guys are saying."

Ipo looked at Inoke, "The great thing about Eugene is that I can say whatever I want and he has no idea."

"I definitely understood that." Eugene told her.

ʻAuliʻi crossed her arms and huffed, "ʻAʻole maikaʻi."

"Boys are gross, ʻAuliʻi." Ipo told her.

ʻAuliʻi just pointed at Eugene while raising her eyebrows at her sister.

"Well, Eugene's not a boy, he's my best friend."

"Who is a boy." The redhead cut in.

"Doesn't count." Ipo said.

A timer went off and Eugene got to witness the making of poi. It was very messy. Ipo told him about a god called Hāloa, who wasn't right when he was born and died. Hoʻohōlūkalani buried him in the earth and from him grew the taro plant, which was called Kalo in Hawaiian. Poi was made from its root that was called corm. Hāloa was the ancestor of all Hawaiians and the more the Western people trampled on their culture, the sicker Hāloa gets. They all sat on the pillows in the sitting area next to the altar and ate the poi with their fingers. Ipo added a strange amount of salt to hers.

"You see Aunt Iolana?" Inoke asked.

"Tomorrow." Ipo replied.

Eugene's face paled. He'd forgotten about her, "No. No way. She'll put some sort of gypsy curse on me."

"Gypsy?" Inoke asked.

Ipo shook her head, "I told him about her and he got a little scared."

"She sent me a threatening letter. How'd she even know I was talking about her?" Eugene was so serious until Inoke and Ipo covered their laughs behind their hands. "What?" He looked at Inoke, "She knew! That doesn't freak you out?"

Inoke shook his head at Ipo, "You not tell him?"

Eugene looked at her, "Tell me what?"

"Ipo tell Inoke tell Aunty Iolana send leka." ʻAuliʻi chimed.

Eugene's jaw dropped as he turned to Ipo, "You lying bitch."

Ipo laughed, "You shouldn't have talked shit about my Aunty!"

Eugene laughed, too, but it was out of relief, "I was so scared to find roaches in my pillow!"

"Could still happen." Ipo said, scooping some Poi and putting it in her mouth.

"Yeah, whatever." Eugene said.

They were all quiet for a moment before Inoke said, "... You see fada?"

The air suddenly got thick. ʻAuliʻi slid her eyes over Ipo, fingers still paused in her mouth and eyebrows raised because she knew what the word 'father' meant. Inoke had told the little girl that he wasn't well and she could read the atmosphere almost as well as their Aunty. Ipo stared down at the middle of the table, "... You said his soul was gone."

"Soul gone, body not."

"I don't know if I can, Inoke."

"He family. See him."

Ipo looked up at him, "Is this why we're having poi? So we can't argue?"

Eugene asked kind of quietly because he didn't want to interrupt, but he wanted to know, "Why can't you argue?"

ʻAuliʻi whispered, "Hāloa watch. No fight."

Like that wasn't fucking creepy.

Inoke nodded, "ʻAe."

Ipo rolled her eyes, running her hand through her hair, "Then, can I explain calmly why I don't want to?"

"ʻAe." Inoke took a sip of his tea.

"I'm the one who put him in there."

"Did not."

"No arguing." Ipo said before continuing, "I think he would've been fine if I didn't... Act insane."

"You _are_ insane." Inoke told her, "You... Didn't know how he was... going to..." Inoke stopped to roll his eyes, annoyed that he had to think this hard, "React."

Ipo nodded and spoke sarcastically, "Thank you, Inoke, you're so nice."

"Old fada." ʻAuliʻi told Ipo, "Face hair." She was telling her about him to try to convince her to see him. She was on Inoke's side.

"ʻAuliʻi, we really need to teach you more English." Ipo told her.

"Why? She tell you same as me." Inoke told her.

"It's not my business, but..." Eugene cut in, "I think you should go. We should go. I just want to see him."

Ipo stared at Eugene for a moment. His and his stupid Christian values. She nodded, "Fine."

"Once." Inoke said, "No more than that."

"Didn't plan on it." Ipo muttered. There was a silence for a bit before she said, "So, where's my shit?"

"My room... Was going to throw it away."

Ipo laughed, "You're a fucking asshole."

That night, Ipo and Eugene slept on the floor next to the table they had ate at because Inoke said that they weren't giving up their beds for people like Ipo and Eugene. Always the jokester, Inoke was. At about four in the morning, Ipo woke him up. They got dressed and Eugene didn't know where they were going and he was too tired to ask. He didn't think they were going to visit an ancient woman that early in the morning. Kauaʻi was nothing like any of the other islands. It was so green and smelled of coffee and pineapples. And had so many bugs. There was a trail that lead to town by the side of the house and another trail where the sugarcane ended that lead back further into the vast jungle in the center of Kauaʻi. That's the one they took.

They were walking for a long while before Eugene heard it. It was a downpour of water. They broke through some trees and they were at the bottom of a waterfall. They were getting lightly sprayed. Ipo grabbed his hand and pointed, "See the rainbow?" That was the second thing she's said to him. The first was " _wake up_ ".

"This is the waterfall in your mind?" Eugene asked.

"Yeah." Ipo leaned her head on his shoulder and they just stood there and enjoyed it. Ipo was right. It was very peaceful. They stayed there so long that they had to sit down. Being in the presence of the waterfall instead of just picturing it was therapeutic. Eventually, though, they went further into the forest past the waterfall for a few more minutes before they happened on a little house that looked a lot more put together that Ipo's. There was a white fence around it to hold in all the hibiscus and orchid flowers. There was even a short windmill that turned lazily in the breeze.

"Welcome to Aunty Iolana's." Ipo said as she led him down the short path to the front door, which was painted blue, and knocked three times.

A strained but friendly voice rang from inside, "Komo."

"She's up early." Eugene muttered.

Ipo opened the door and walked inside, Eugene cautiously following behind. Aunty Iolana's house was made out of wood, like Ipo's, but the layout was completely different. They were in a hallway. To the right was something that looked a lot like a normal living room. It had two chairs, a coffee table, a bookshelf, a radio, and an altar that featured a different God than Ipo's. If this old woman could have these things, how come Ipo's family didn't? To the left was the kitchen that looked normal. It had a stove, sink, a lot of plants, and a scarily old woman sitting at a wooden table carving up a shitload of pineapples.

"Aloha, Aunty." Ipo entered the kitchen and leaned down, kissing Aunty Iolana on her thin grey hair.

"Oh! Ipo! About time you got back." Aunty smacked Ipo's bottom lightly as a punishment. Eugene was surprised. He expected her English to be worse than ʻAuliʻi's. The woman spoke perfect English. Her eyes were black and beedy and hard to see, but they were friendly, which was something that Ipo never described. The tattoo on her chin was extremely faded and barely noticeable. She didn't have many teeth in her skull, however.

Ipo motioned to Eugene while sitting down next to the elderly woman, "This is Eugene."

"I know who he is. Pele said a man of fire would accompany you through life."

"Bullshit." Ipo scoffed, picking up a piece of chopped pineapple and tossing it into her mouth.

"No, that's what she said! Sit down, Ahi, stop standing like a stranger." Aunty's hand shook as she motioned to a chair.

"I don't remember that it any letters." Ipo got more pineapple before Aunty could slap her hand away and gave a piece to Eugene. It was the best pineapple he's ever had.

"Neither do I, but I thought that maybe I'd get lucky." She pointed to the cabinet, "Get your fiancée something to drink. Don't be rude."

"It's your house." Ipo muttered as she stood anyway to do what she was told.

As Ipo started to make tea, Iolana looked at Eugene, "Pele showed me. When she touched my hand, your face showed as brightly as lava. Don't think I can't see that skepticism in your eyes, boy. What I say is true and you will learn that quickly."

"Only staying for two weeks, Aunty." Ipo called over her shoulder.

"All he needs." Iolana winked at Eugene.

Eugene shook his head, "You're... Not how I imagined."

Iolana chuckled, "Ipo likes tell scary stories about the old witch in the woods to make people do things for her."

"And it works like a charm." Ipo took the screaming kettle off the stove, "You should've seen Eugene's face when he read that letter. He checked his pillowcase for weeks."

"Why?" She asked.

Ipo poured tea into three cups and sat them in front of the proper people, "Told him that you'd put giant roaches in it if he didn't stop running his mouth."

Aunty Iolana sipped her tea, "Creative."

"Your house is very nice." Eugene wanted to change the subject.

"It must be a shock from Ipo's house." Iolana once again read Eugene's mind, "I adapt with the world. Bring new and old together. That's how I've lived so long."

"Ipo says that you were created with Hawaiʻi or whatever."

"That's true. Popped up right up on this spot. Under some exposed tree root."

"There's no way you could know that."

Ipo kicked him under the table, "There's no way you know that fucking Jesus walked on water, so shut up."

"Language, girl." Iolana scolded.

"Your Aunty isn't a religion, Ipo."

"Religion is nothing but belief. I believe that my Aunty was made that way and I believe everything she tells me because it always somehow turns out true. I've read the book of Revelations and I have yet to see any holes or dragons."

"Enough." Iolana basically barked, "In this house we practice Aloha. No fighting, like you do at yours. I see those nasty cuts Inoke left."

"ʻAe, Aunty." Ipo muttered.

Iolana shook her head, but it was hard to distinguish from its normal shaking, "Ipo's always had a problem. Fighting. Hating. Can't help the Pele in her veins."

"Are you trying to scare him off?"

"The boy can't be scared off, Ipo. You see his eyes."

Ipo looked at Eugene, "That sounds like a challenge."

Eugene almost snorted, "You'd be fighting against nothing. Your Aunty's right."

"I'm your Aunty, too, Ahi."

"' _Ahi_ ' means fire." Ipo told him.

"Are you getting married while you're here?"

"No." Ipo and Eugene answered at the same time. "Alabama." Ipo cleared up, "His mother would murder me."

"Cook her dinner and she won't hate you any more." Aunty Iolana's fix-all for grudges.

Ipo scoffed, "They're so rich that they have help. Actual people who are only there to cook or clean. I think she'd throw a fit to have someone that she wasn't paying cook for her."

"Ah," Aunty Iolana nodded, "That's what's bugging you."

Eugene glanced between them, "What?"

"Ipo doesn't like the rich. Part of her ever present problem. She never cared that those people earned that money."

"Never cared for their attitude." Ipo muttered.

"I'm certain that they don't care for yours either, Kope."

"Kope?" Eugene asked, changing the subject once again.

"It means coffee." Aunty said, "Ipo is a strong drink; refreshing in small doses, but too much is poison to the mind."

"You see, Eugene?" Ipo said, "Everyone here hates me."

Eugene shrugged, "I love coffee."

"Yes, you do." Aunty winked at him again.

The rest of their time there consisted of them telling Aunty Iolana what they had in mind for the wedding. She liked the integration of beliefs and even went to fetch them one of the many lava rocks she had piled around her bedroom. Or, she had Ipo fetch it. The topic of Eugene's wedding ring came up and Ipo decided that she'd get one alone in town sometime. She'd love to leave Eugene alone with her siblings.

Two days later, there was a knock on the screen door during the middle of the day. Inoke got up from the kitchen table where they were eating lunch and took one look through the screen before turning right back around and sitting back down. Ipo furrowed her eyebrows, "Who is it?" The screen door then opened and in walked someone that no one in that household wanted to see.

"Go!" ʻAuliʻi yelled before Inoke shushed her.

"You're back." Analu said as he stood awkwardly in the middle of the house.

"Yes." Ipo continued eating her white rice. The air was thick with the dangerous vibes that were pulsating off of her. Once again, everyone was worried about what she was going to do. A ticking bomb that never had the same length wick.

"... How are you?"

"Married." She lied as she flashed her ring. Eugene was sitting there, debating on what to do.

"Oh." He sounded disappointed and surprised. Pig. "Hoʻomaikaʻi ʻana."

"Mahalo." She muttered.

"My name is Analu." He was talking to Eugene, "An old frie-"

"I know who you are." Eugene cut him off, face like steel, "And you're not a friend of Ipo's." Inoke had to hide his smile. He never liked to show his amusement.

Analu gave a nod, looking down at the floor momentarily before asking, "Ipo, may I speak with you outside?"

She snorted, "ʻAʻole."

He sighed, "Come on, Ipo."

Inoke suddenly stood, the harsh scraping of the chair alarming everyone, "Ua lohe ʻoe i ʻo ia."

Analu's jaw clenched before he said, "Fine. Ipo... I'm sorry."

"Eat shit, asshole." Ipo said, "Wasted fifteen years of my life. Go away, we're eating."

"Ipo-"

"Leave." Eugene said sternly.

"Since when did you need men to speak for you?"

The fuse was out. Ipo stood and walked over to him. He didn't move or flinch, thinking that he had won. That was until she stabbed her fork into his shoulder and shoved his screaming ass out of the house, accidentally breaking the door in the process. "You're a piece of shit, Analu!" She yelled after him as he tried to stand and run away at the same time, "Go fuck yourself!" When she stepped back into the house, her siblings and Eugene were staring at her in shock.

"... Three days before you managed to hurt someone." Eugene said as Ipo took a dramatic bow, "Leyden would be proud." Ipo sat back down and the redhead asked, "What if he goes to the police?"

"Ipo... been in jail many time." Inoke told him, "Police give up."

Eugene looked at Ipo, "You never told me that."

"Like Inoke said, the police don't care any more, so I didn't think it was important."

"Just never tell my parents, alright?"

Ipo snorted, "Yeah, that's the first thing I'll tell them."

"Analu wife," Inoke said, "Tall. Blonde. Blue eye."

"Is her name Kitty Kat?" Ipo muttered to herself.

"Analu wife?" ʻAuliʻi asked.

"ʻAe." Inoke said, "Wife. Wahine."

ʻAuliʻi dramatically rolled her eyes and sat on her knees to lean closer to Ipo. She motioned for Ipo to lean closer, too, and the little girl whispered, using that gossiping gene that ran in all of them, "Analu wife. Ugly."

Ipo hadn't laughed that hard in months.

The next day, Ipo met that wife. There was a pounding at the door when they hadn't been up for even an hour. Inoke glanced at the screen door as he passed from his room to the kitchen, not stopping as he scoffed, "Ipo, for you."

She handed him the cup of coffee she'd been pouring and went over to the door that rattled with every slamming fist. Ipo could see clearly who it was. She was a beautiful woman with freckles about her nose and cheeks. Ipo quickly threw open the door and stood with half of her body out of the house, "What?" There was no friendliness in her voice.

"You stabbed him!" She yelled.

"Yes, and?" Ipo responded.

"You can't do that, you bitch!"

Ipo couldn't hide the grin that spread across her face, "I did, though."

"I called the police."

"Really?" Ipo glanced around, "I don't see any here. Probably because they know that a man who barely waits a few months before marrying an easy girl just so he can crawl into her kohe deserves to be stabbed."

"I'm easy?" Her eyebrows shot up, "He didn't even have to marry you."

Ipo snorted, "Did you come here to scream things I already know at me or are you going to hit me? Either way, hurry up and get the fuck off my land."

"Too afraid to make the first move?"

There was a sudden laughing behind Ipo. She turned and rolled her eyes at Eugene, "Stop eavesdropping!"

Eugene placed his hand on his stomach, saying through his chuckles, "This is too good to miss."

Ipo turned back to the blonde, "I don't hit girls."

"She stabs out their eyes and slits their throats, instead." Eugene said from behind her. He kind of got why Ipo always threatened people. It felt good.

"Yeah, right." She didn't seem to like the seriousness on Eugene's face, however.

"Want to find out?" Ipo gave her that special stare that was meant to instill uneasiness.

She stepped away, "He said you were crazy."

"Well, he would know, since I fucking stabbed him. Are we done? I have to make breakfast for my family." Ipo slammed the door shut without an answer.

"You make breakfast?" Inoke asked from the kitchen.

Ipo snorted, "No."

Eugene suddenly hugged her tightly, muttering into her ear, "I love you." He pulled away and he kissed her. It felt a little different than usual.

She stared up at him when he pulled away, eyebrows furrowed as she responded, "I love you, too?" It was all suddenly different and she didn't understand how or why. He smiled at her before going into the kitchen and pouring himself some coffee. Her heart felt strange, but she chocked it up to the coffee.

That weekend, they all decided that it was best to tell ʻAuliʻi. Inoke liked Eugene. He handled Ipo really well and didn't mind that she was a violent bitch. Ipo didn't mind taking orders from him. It was an interesting sight for Inoke. ʻAuliʻi was sorely disappointed that they were only staying for another week, but that was before Inoke told her her options. He started out by saying that he loved her no matter what, but there were things that he wanted to do. Things that he wouldn't be able to do so easily with ʻAuliʻi's schooling and things like that. It sounded a bit harsh, but there wasn't exactly a gentle way to put it. He told her that she could stay or she could live with Ipo and Eugene in Alabama, where she'd be able to get better schooling and opportunities. The first thing ʻAuliʻi asked about was Hula. That's what she wanted to do with her life. Ipo told her that she could teach her what she knew, but she could come back to Hawaiʻi when she was older to learn more.

"ʻAʻole makemake ʻoe ʻo Eugene, ʻaʻole pono ʻoe e hele." Ipo told her, "Aka, kuleana koʻu iā ʻoe." ʻAuliʻi did like Eugene. He was funny. Or, his facial expressions were funny. She didn't really understand him most of the time. She'd have to leave her home, but they kept saying that it'd be better in Alabama. She slowly nodded her head and that became her last week, as well.

Ipo signed over the farm to Inoke. He said that once he saved up enough, he was going to sell it and move to the Big Island to attend the university. Aunty Iolana refused to go with him, no matter how much he asked. She said that she'd never left that spot and she never will. Aunty felt that it was a damn shame that the Kaheikekonikoni family would no longer occupy their land. But, times change.

Ipo went into town on Monday by herself. It was refreshing to see all the familiar faces and it was nice to see people who were happy to see her. Ipo was a violent and scary person, but she was always nice to the people who were nice to her, so that put most Hawaiians on her good side. Most of the shops that were owned by Japanese had been cleaned up from when the American soldiers came and took them away. Kenji Yoshiura's family's store was for sale. They were gone. She hadn't seen Ruth any where. Ipo went into a jewelry shop to find Eugene a ring. The owner of the shop, Mr. Nakamura, was shocked that she was getting married, but everyone always seemed to be. She knew what kind of ring he would like. The boring, manly kind. Ipo didn't want a ring that symbolized him, she wanted one that symbolized them.

Ipo grinned when she found the one and bought it on the spot. It was rose gold. The band was a little thin, but it was barely noticeable from the tiny turtle that was in place of a stone or diamond. It was cheesy and she wanted Eugene to be forced to wear it for the rest of his life. On Wednesday, the entire family went into town to eat out. Eugene had never been more bombarded by people in his life. The family was friends with the entire town. They were all much friendlier about his race than Ipo and her siblings.

On Saturday, there was a surprise going away party on Keʻe Beach for Ipo, Eugene, and ʻAuliʻi. Any excuse to party. Eugene was introduced to a proper Luau and during that party, he realized that he felt more comfortable with Ipo's friends and family than his own. They were always laughing and having fun. No one was expecting anything from anyone but friendly conversation. However, more than once he glanced out to the ocean and felt exactly what Ipo did and suddenly, he couldn't wait to leave.

Ipo cried a bit when they left. ʻAuliʻi didn't because she was only seven and didn't understand that much, yet. They had one more stop to make in Hawaiʻi, though. Her father was being kept on the Big Island in Hilo. ʻAuliʻi let Eugene hold her hand as Ipo led them through the halls. He'd never been to a mental hospital before and he'd never like to be in one again. The smell was terrible. Men were whispering to walls. They had to have an escort to move through the halls because of Ipo and ʻAuliʻi. It was strange how a place could be so quiet when screams were echoing around them.

Ipo's father sat in a wheelchair in a room with six beds. He was positioned by the only window in the room, staring out past the bars. His eyes were the deadest Eugene had ever seen on a live person. It chilled his bones. Ipo stopped a little ways from him. She did this to him. He wouldn't be like this if she hadn't shown him an armful of body parts. Ipo took a deep breathe before saying, "Aloha, Makuakāne." As expected, he didn't respond. Ipo wanted to leave, "Maʻaneʻi ʻo ʻAuliʻi."

"Aloha, Makuakāne." ʻAuliʻi said quietly through her hand. She was chewing on her thumb knuckle. She did that all the time when she was nervous.

"Kēia kuʻu ipo. Kona inoa ʻo Eugene."

"Aloha... Sir." Eugene spoke awkwardly. He didn't think it would've mattered if he had said anything at all.

"E hele ana mākou i noho ma i ka 'āina nui." Ipo told him.

There was no response. Ipo didn't think she could look at him much longer. Eugene could see the pain on her face as she stared down at the floor. He wanted to ask permission to marry his daughter, but he could see that that dream was of the past.

Ipo muttered to ʻAuliʻi, "Hāʻawi pūliki ʻo ia." The little girl hesitantly walked up the the statue of a man and awkwardly hugged him around his neck. Ipo kissed him on his forehead, muttering, "Aloha au iā ʻoe."

Eugene didn't say any goodbye. They just left.

On the train, Eugene had told Ipo that he had asked Inoke if he would like to walk her down the isle. "He said that you weren't anyone's to give."

"Maybe ʻAuliʻi can." Ipo replied. Her sister was asleep against her side.

"No way. She has to be the flower girl."

Ipo rolled it around in her mind, "Alright."

In New Orleans, Eugene held his breath, thinking that she'd decide to leave in the few seconds that they were stopped. She just sat there, trying to teach ʻAuliʻi some English. He was more relieved than he thought he'd be.

ʻAuliʻi's reaction to Alabama was much like Ipo's. She was extremely disappointed that there weren't any oceans around. Inoke said that he was going to teach her how to surf on her birthday. Ipo told her that maybe she could surf in Mobile Bay if the wind was strong enough. Eugene's parents' liked the little girl way more than they liked Ipo. The language barrier was endearing to them and it didn't hurt that ʻAuliʻi was adorable. They must have thought that she was going to come covered in tattoos and have a bad attitude. Not that she didn't, she just knew how to hide it better than Ipo. The girl immediately wrote one of her famous letters to Inoke. Ipo felt bad, tearing her away from her home. At least it would be ripped more gently away from her than it was from Ipo.

The day after they got back, Ipo met with Bunny and Martha in Eugene's back yard. ʻAuliʻi was there with them. She didn't understand much of what they were saying, but Ipo wanted her sister to be included as much as possible. However, things got off track when there were obvious bruises on Bunny's skin. They wouldn't have been visible if she didn't like wearing clothes that made her feel good. Ipo asked about them, of course. Bunny blew it off, but Martha said, "John."

"He was just drunk, is all." Bunny said, "It's no big deal." She wasn't talking a mile a minute.

"Really?" Martha asked her, "Then why is that one new?" Martha pointed to the purple one on her collar bone.

"I'll take care of it." Ipo said, her voice hard. It reminded her of the couple of men that Ruth had to deal with.

"No, Ipo, it's fine. I'll talk to him. Besides, you have a wedding to worry about. Who's going to be your Maid of Honor? Me or Martha? I know she's going to be your sister-in-law-in-law, but that's why you shouldn't pick her. She has an advantage already. Help a little gal out, huh? Have you guys picked a date, yet?"

And, she was back.

Ipo did decide to let it go at the moment. That night, she and Eugene pounded out the majority of the details. The wedding was going to be two weeks from then, which was enough time, in their opinion. It wasn't going to be a huge extravaganza. Bunny was going to be the Maid of Honor and Martha was to be the only bridesmaid. His Best Man would be Sid and his groomsman would be Edward. Eugene wondered if they should invite the Second Squad, but Ipo thought it'd be more fun to send them wedding photos and tell them that their lame asses weren't invited. Leyden was the only one who didn't know that she was a girl and she wished she'd be able to see his reaction. They had brought all of the Hawaiian aspects of the wedding home with them. The lava rock, ti leaf, lei's, a haku, and a pū (which Bunny was going to blow before Ipo walked down the isle). All guests were going to be invited by phone. Eugene's family, Ipo's band.

They decided to leave things like food and reception up to Mrs. Sledge as a peace offering between her and Ipo.

A week before the wedding was when Ipo had her first encounter with the Sheriff and not in a good way. Ipo, Mrs. Sledge, Eugene, Dr. Sledge, and ʻAuliʻi were out in town. The girls were going to the bridal shop for a wedding dress, the boys to get a tux. They were joking around when Ipo saw John out of the corner of her eye. He wasn't doing anything; just walking down the sidewalk on the opposite side. However, the rage that had been so quiet in Ipo flared and she veered off path, walking quickly across the street.

"Ipo, where are you going?" Mrs. Sledge asked.

Ipo tapped John's arm once and the man turned around. Before he could say anything, Ipo punched him hard in the nose, feeling the snap under her knuckles. Her hearing was gone and vision had faded, so she didn't hear Mrs. Sledge scream. When it came back, Ipo was being pulled off of John by Eugene. She could hear herself shouting at him, "You fucking touch her again and you're dead!"

Eugene smuggled her away before anyone could come and arrest her. Before John could gain consciousness. He told his parents to continue with their plans. That Ipo had a good reason. They were staring at her like she was possessed. The only one who didn't seem to react that way was ʻAuliʻi. When Ipo and Inoke had their fight, it was familiar to her, but surprising. Ipo had always been that way. At least Ipo got a pretty dress without Mrs. Sledge's bickering.

That night, there was a knock on the door during their quiet dinner. Judith, one of the help, answered the door and a few second later a man in a uniform came in. That was the sheriff.

"Phillip!" Dr. Sledge greeted cheerfully, "Take a seat, have some cornbread."

"Sorry, Edward, but this isn't a social call." He turned to Eugene to speak about the girl who was still eating, "I am doing you a favor and giving your friend a warning. I don't know how it works where she's from, but if she does something like this again, then I'll have to arrest her."

"I speak English, haole." Ipo said, shoveling some grits into her mouth.

"Ipo." Eugene hissed. He didn't want her going to prison on their wedding day.

"Say what now?" The Sheriff sounded like he was warning her. Ipo didn't do so well with those.

She turned and looked up at him, "He has been beating my friend. He deserved worse."

The Sheriff looked amused. It must have been confusing for him- this small girl doing that to a sailor, "What happens in the privacy of one's own home is none of your business."

"It is when it's my friend." Ipo responded, "He touches her again, I'll cut off his arms and shove them up _your_ ass."

"Oh, my Lord." Mrs. Sledge muttered to herself. She hadn't gotten used to Ipo's relaxed self, yet.

"I'm sorry, Phillip, but I'm on her side." Dr. Sledge surprisingly spoke up, "If the law doesn't do anything about domestic abuse, then Ipo's vengeance for her friend is completely admirable."

The Sheriff didn't look pleased. He came here for a power trip, but was put on the bottom rung, "... Just don't let it happen again." He said before leaving.

Eugene shook his head, "How do you do that?"

"I'm scary." Was her answer.

Then, the wedding came and it was beautiful. Ipo's dress was bold white lace layered on top of satin white material. The sleeves were two fingers wide because she wanted her mother's tattoo to be shown. So that her mother could be there on the wedding day. Ipo's hair had grown be a bit past her shoulders and she left it down so that the haku could sit nicely on her head. Her lei was white, pink, and yellow and it covered the v-neck of the gown. It clung to her hips, but flowed out at the tops of her thighs. Eugene looked handsome in his tux and the lei that matched Ipo's escalated that to wonderful. ʻAuliʻi looked beautiful in her yellow dress as she spread petals on the grass between the two groups of chairs. The pū shocked everyone as Bunny blew into it, her body bruise free.

Ipo walked down the isle alone. Giving herself away. Freeing herself from the bind of Merriell's love. He would always be in her, but not with her.

Eugene laughed when he saw his wedding ring for the first time, gladly accepting it onto his finger. There weren't any personal vows because they already knew. Kissing Eugene in front of everyone was strange, but not as strange as being Mrs. Eugene Sledge. Sid placed the lava rock wrapped in a ti leaf that he had been holding the whole short ceremony under the tree. The wedding was done, but the reception was being held in the back yard. Mrs. Sledge (not to be confused with Ipo) had made all of the food Southern Comfort. The cake was white with cream cheese frosting and was decorated with the same color flowers as the lei's. Sid's Best Man speech was filled with jokes, since he was a funny guy.

"When I first met Ipo, she didn't look this good." He said, "She looked like a man, swore like a man, and fought like a man. Most of that hasn't changed. She's always been true to herself. The only thing that seems to not be true is the fact that she said that she could catch a fish with her bare hands. I don't see any fish on the menu."

"I can!" Ipo defended herself.

"We'll believe it when we see it." Eugene told her.

"Needless to say," Sid continued, "It never crossed my mind that they'd end up married, but they were always truly, truly, meant to be. I can't think of a better person for my best friend."

Ipo, Bunny, and Martha sang a song that she wrote for Eugene. She called it Moonlight. She prefaced the performance by saying that she wrote it to embarrass him. It did. Eugene's wedding present to her was a camera. Finally.

They didn't go on a honeymoon, but that night, Ipo took Eugene's virginity as quietly as possible. They used a condom because Ipo wasn't ready. She didn't know if she'd ever be. During it, Ipo realized that she really loved Eugene. Like, really, really loved him. That's what had changed on Kauaʻi.

After that, everything was normal. Ipo continued her job at the club and while she was away, Eugene was in charge of ʻAuliʻi. She was going to be enrolled in school the next year and he thought that he should probably teach her English. That's when he learned that he loved teaching. That's what he wanted to do. They had sent Ipo's letter idea to Second Squad and Leyden sent back a really expressive letter voicing just how fucking confused he was. It was perfect.

A few months after the wedding, Inoke sent her a letter telling her that their father's body had passed away. He just went randomly in the night. He was buried next to their mother. Ipo was sorry that her brother had to do that alone.

Two years after that, Aunty Iolana died. It was a shock to everyone, but no one seemed to take it as hard as Ipo. She wasn't the same. She stared out windows often and wouldn't speak for hours at a time. She couldn't continue her singing, but she still wrote music. Dr. Sledge finally decided to examine her.

Ipo had a tumor in her brain. That's what caused the ringing in her ears and the darkening vision. The stress magnified it tremendously.

She died six years later.

Eugene and ʻAuliʻi took her body back to Kauaʻi to be buried with her parents. She had told Eugene, when she was almost at the end, that she always thought that she was going to die on those islands. That's where she belonged in the afterlife. On an island. ʻAuliʻi stayed with Inoke, saying that she wanted to get back in touch with the Aloha way of life. To learn more Hula. But, she'd always love Eugene and see him as a father. Her staying made Eugene feel like he lost all of his family, but he understood.

Eugene got off the train in New Orleans on his way back from the funeral. _He_ deserved to know. It took him a few weeks to find him. Snafu was sitting in a bar during the day, drinking whiskey, staring at the mirror behind the bartender. That's how he knew Eugene was standing behind him. He thought it was a ghost of his memory that kept haunting him all those years until the ginger sat down next to him, ordering a whiskey as well.

"Well, I'll be damned." Snafu drawled out.

"Drinkin' during the day isn't healthy, Snaf." Eugene stated before downing the entire tumbler.

"Yeah? What's your excuse?" Snafu chuckled.

Eugene didn't ask for a refill. He just stared down at the wood of the bar for a while before saying, "... I married Ipo." He saw Snafu go stiff on his stool, "Eight years ago, I married Ipo."

Snafu slowly nodded, "I figured that would happen. I always knew. I could always see. She never hit you, you notice that? She loved you. Loved you more than she could ever love me... That's why I left her on that train."

"You ruined her for a while for what you did." Eugene said. He knew it now, too. Took him years, but he finally connected the pieces. He was even slower than Ipo on that.

"Well, you're welcome. 'Cause now you got a wife."

"... No. No, I don't." Eugene's voice was soft as he played with the small turtle on his finger, "... She died a few of weeks ago. There was a tumor. I thought you should know."

He then just stood and walked out, leaving Snafu frozen in the bar. On the train ride home, Eugene sobbed loudly and openly, unaware that Snafu was doing the same.

Ipo's story would never be told. Never be known by anyone other than those involved.

She would want it that way.

THE END.

 **~~~ A/N ~~~**

 **Song: Moonlight by Ariana Grande. English Translations:**

 _Kepanī_ \- Japanese

 _Heahea_ \- Welcome

ʻ _Aʻole hānai nui loa iā lākou_. - Don't feed them too much.

 _ʻĒ, ʻē, ʻē_. - Yeah, yeah, yeah.

 _Tita_? - Sister?

 _Ua hoʻi mai iā ʻoe_! - You're back!

 _Ua haʻo loa au iā ʻoa_. - I missed you so much.

 _Nani loa ʻoe_! - You're so beautiful!

 _He kāne i ʻo_. - There's a man.

 _Manaʻo ʻoe ʻo ʻAuliʻi, ʻōkole_! - Think of ʻAuliʻi, asshole!

 _ʻAʻole hana ʻoe_! - You didn't!

 _ʻAʻole makemake ʻoe i hele iaʻu, ua ʻaʻole pono ʻoe kōkua_! - You didn't want me to go, you shouldn't have helped!

ʻ _Aʻole manaʻo au i hele ʻoe_! - I didn't think you'd go!

 _He aha kēnā_? - What is that?

 _Kālā_ \- Money

 _Ua_ \- Turns verbs into past tense.

 _E male ana lāua_. - They're getting married.

 _Haole ʻo ia_. - He's white.

 _Leo ʻē k_ _āu_. - Your voice is strange.

 _K_ _ūlike me ke ʻano mau_. - Normal.

 _ʻAʻole! E kiʻi au i he ipo inā makemake au_! - No! I will get a boyfriend if I want!

 _Kanakolu_ \- Thirty

ʻ _Ae me au ʻo Ipo_. - I'm with Ipo.

ʻ _Aʻole maikaʻi_. - Not nice.

 _Komo_. - Enter.

 _Ahi_ \- Fire

 _Ua lohi ʻoe i ʻo ia_. - You heard her.

 _ʻAʻole makemake ʻoe ʻo Eugene, ʻaʻole pono ʻoe e hele_. - You don't like Eugene, you don't have to go.

 _Aka, kuleana koʻu iā ʻoe_. - But, you are my responsibility.

 _Makuakāne_ \- Father

 _Maʻaneʻi ʻo ʻAuliʻi_. - ʻAuliʻi is here.

 _Kēia kuʻu ipo. Kona inoa ʻo Eugene_. - This is my sweetheart. His name is Eugene.

 _E hele ana mākou i noho ma i ka ʻāina nui_. - We're going to live on the Mainland.

 _Hāʻawi pūliki ʻo ia_. - Give him a hug.

 _Aloha au iā ʻoe_. - I love you.


End file.
